U.S. Navy Attacks and Seizes it First Vessel in Blockade of Iran's Seaports

The U.S. Navy has fired upon and boarded an inbound Iranian container ship, according to U.S. President Donald Trump. It is the first instance of kinetic methods being used for enforcement during the selective blockade.

According to U.S. Central Command, the sanctioned boxship Touska approached the blockade enforcement area in the Gulf of Oman and attempted to continue on an inbound course, headed for Bandar Abbas. Destroyer USS Spruance issued a warning, which Touska disregarded, Trump said, "so our navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room." According to CENTCOM, the vessel was warned for six hours, and was instructed to evacuate her engine room before Spruance opened fire with her deck gun. Several rounds disabled her propulsion, CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM publishes video of them firing the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance’s 5-inch Mk 45 gun into Touska’s engine room after it “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period.” https://t.co/Ab2zKUKEzA pic.twitter.com/4UZcR0QETT
— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) April 19, 2026

U.S. Marines boarded and took control of the vessel, he said. "We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what's on board!" he wrote in a social media message.

A nearby tanker in ballast was allowed to proceed to Iran without kinetic interference, according to TankerTrackers.com, the latest in a series of empty Iranian VLCCs navigating past the U.S. naval cordon. Laden, outbound VLCCs have been consistently blocked; inbound VLCCs have been permitted to pass. The empty tankers will provide the National Iranian Oil Company with more floating storage, extending the time horizon before Iran has to begin shutting in oil wells due to filled onshore tank capacity.