Video Captures Moment US Navy Fired At Iranian Cargo Ship 'Touska' Before Its Seizure

Last Updated:April 20, 2026, 08:04 IST

US destroyer USS Spruance disables Iranian ship Touska in north Arabian Sea after it defies blockade warnings, US Marines seize vessel, Trump hails interception

US forces have taken control of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the north Arabian Sea after a prolonged standoff, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed.

The vessel, identified as the M/V Touska, was intercepted by the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance while it was en route to Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. CENTCOM said the ship failed to respond to repeated warnings over a six-hour period, prompting US forces to escalate their response.

Later, the CENTCOM also released a video showing the guided-missile destroyer firing at the vessel. The video has surfaced on social media platform X.

Watch The Video Here

CENTCOM stated that the USS Spruance tracked Touska moving at 17 knots through the northern Arabian Sea and repeatedly notified its crew that the vessel was violating a US naval blockade. When the ship did not comply, the destroyer ordered the evacuation of the engine room before opening fire, CENTCOM said in a statement. Follow for live updates

“Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room," the statement read. “Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room."

Following the strike, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the immobilised vessel. The military described the operation as conducted in a “deliberate, professional, and proportional manner."

The US military also said that since enforcing the blockade, US forces have turned around or redirected 25 commercial ships attempting to reach Iranian ports.

Trump Announces Iranian Ship Interception 

Earlier, US President Donald Trump also announced the operation in a post on Truth Social, offering a blunt account of the encounter.

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them," Trump wrote. The US President confirmed that the USS Spruance had intercepted the vessel in the Gulf of Oman and after the crew had refused warnings, and that Navy forces “blew a hole in the engine room" to stop it.

Trump added that the Touska was under US Treasury sanctions due to what he described as a prior history of illegal activity. “We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!" he wrote.

News world Video Captures Moment US Navy Fired At Iranian Cargo Ship 'Touska' Before Its Seizure

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