US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that US forces seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Tosca after it attempted to bypass a naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.Iran initially contradicted this claim, saying that US forces were forced to retreat.
However, the Islamic Republic later confirmed the seizure of the ship and warned that it would “retaliate and retaliate.”
This issue caused escalation of tensions days before the fragile ceasefire ended on Wednesday.The military command said that the attack and the subsequent boarding of American forces on the ship was a violation of the ceasefire, and denounced it as piracy, according to the Iranian government agency.In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship called Tosca… tried to bypass our naval blockade, and things did not go well for them.”Trump said that a US Navy guided missile destroyer in the Gulf of Oman warned the ship to stop, but it did not comply.“The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Sprunce intercepted the Tosca in the Gulf of Oman and gave it fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by punching a hole in the engine room. Currently, US Marines are guarding the ship. Tosca is under US Treasury sanctions due to its past history of illegal activity.
We have full custody of the ship and see what is on board!”
US Central Command issues a statement containing details of the seizure of the Iranian ship
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that forces operating in the Arabian Sea imposed naval blockade measures against the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Tosca as it attempted to sail towards an Iranian port.According to US Central Command, the USS Spruance intercepted the ship as it was transiting the northern Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran.
The US said repeated warnings were issued over a six-hour period, during which the ship allegedly failed to comply with orders to stop.The agency also published a video showing how the US Navy intercepted the Iranian ship Tosca in Hormuz.
“US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in US custody,” it added. US Central Command said US forces acted in a “deliberate, professional and proportionate manner” and claimed that since the start of the blockade, 25 commercial ships had been directed to return to or return to Iranian ports.
Iran had previously contradicted the American narrative
Before the seizure was confirmed, state-linked Iranian media presented a different account of the same incident.“American terrorist forces deployed in the waters surrounding the Sea of Oman and opened fire on an Iranian commercial ship to force it to return to Iranian territorial waters,” Al Jazeera reported, citing the semi-official Mehr News Agency.She added, “With the timely presence and rapid response of the naval units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to support the Iranian ship, the Americans were forced to retreat and flee the area.”
The report did not mention the name of the ship in question.The report did not name the ship and directly contradicts Trump’s claims about the successful seizure.
Iran confirms its detention and describes it as “armed piracy”
Iran later confirmed that a US operation had targeted and detained one of its commercial ships.“Aggressive America, by violating the ceasefire and committing maritime piracy, attacked one of the Iranian commercial ships… by firing at it and disabling its navigation system by deploying a number of its terrorist marines on the ship’s deck,” the statement read.He added: “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed hacking carried out by the US military.”The incident has cast doubt on new diplomatic efforts. Trump had previously said that American negotiators would travel to Pakistan for talks, but Iran did not confirm its participation.Iranian officials also criticized what they described as “excessive demands” and US “ceasefire violations,” raising questions about whether negotiations will move forward.
