U.S. Warship Cripples Iranian Vessel That Tried to Break Hormuz Blockade

The ship had ignored our warnings and was subsequently disabled via a shot through the engine room.

CENTCOM: American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade. After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody (Centcom).

U.S. Marines depart amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter and transit over the Arabian Sea to board and seize M/V Touska. The Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel, April 19, after guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska’s… pic.twitter.com/mFxI5RzYCS

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 20, 2026

Iran’s response, via the Financial Times: Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters vowed retaliation for the attack. “The US, the aggressor, violated the ceasefire and engaged in maritime piracy,” the military body said. “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to this act of armed maritime piracy and retaliate soon” (Financial Times).

President Trump’s summary of the latest: Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it? My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan — They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations. Iran recently announced that they were closing the Strait, which is strange, because our BLOCKADE has already closed it (Truth).

Axios: Iran said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz is again closed to traffic following threats of such action if the U.S. continued its blockade of the shipping channel. Why it matters: The closure could be a setback to efforts toward a new round of negotiations on a deal to end the war and will add pressure to an already tense situation between Iran and the U.S. Fars, Iran’s semi-official state news agency, first reported the closure, citing the ongoing blockade and quoting an Iranian official as saying that the U.S. “continue to engage in banditry and maritime piracy.” “As long as the United States does not agree to the complete freedom of navigation for vessels …. the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and in its previous state,” the military official said, according to Fars (Axios).

US Navy destroyer ‘blows a hole’ through Iranian cargo ship that tried to break Hormuz blockade, Trump says

By Ryan King, NY Post, April 19, 2026:

WASHINGTON — The US seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after “blowing a hole” in its engine room when it tried to break past the Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump revealed Sunday.

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The USS Spruance destroyer intercepted Iran’s Touska cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, taking custody of the ship after it refused warnings to stop, according to the president.

“Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel,” the president added. “The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!”

A CENTCOM video shared online by Reuters’ chief national security reporter showed the US Navy ship warning those aboard the Iranian cargo ship to vacate its engine room before firing multiple blasts.

“Motor vessel Touska, motor vessel Touska, vacate your engine room, vacate your engine room. We are prepared to subject you to disabling fire,” a Marine can be heard saying before the ship’s horn blows and blasts go off.

The seizure of the Iran-flagged vessel comes as Trump is pushing to lock down a peace deal with Iran before the two-week cease-fire wraps up on Tuesday.

Trump told The Post earlier in the day, Sunday, that his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan for the talks.

The White House confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead discussions.

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But a top Iranian official has said that Tehran won’t partake in the talks, citing concerns that US demands are too tough.

“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” the state-run IRNA outlet said.

Trump has been emphatic that Iran must abandon its nuclear program and turn over its enriched uranium, believed to have been buried underground by bombing, to the US.

The president has also demanded that Iran agree to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has wreaked havoc upon the global economy by sporadically opening fire on vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies flow through annually.

Those attacks have deterred travel through there. Additionally, Iran claims to have laid down mines in the waterway and reportedly said it lost track of their locations.

In response, Trump announced a blockade last week of Iranian ships going through the oil chokepoint.

US officials have since clarified that Washington will be targeting Iranian ships worldwide in a bid to ratchet up pressure on the theocratic regime.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has claimed that the US is carrying out the blockade with “less than 10% of America’s naval power.”

Should the US and Iran fail to come to a proper peace agreement, Trump has threatened to begin bombing energy infrastructure and bridges in Iran.