President Donald Trump announced Sunday afternoon that the United States Navy had captured and taken custody of an Iranian-flagged merchant vessel that had attempted to run the blockade established at the Strait of Hormuz.
BREAKING: President Trump just announced the US military has SEIZED an Iranian cargo ship which attempted to GET PASSED America’s Naval blockade
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 19, 2026
President Trump wasn’t bluffing.
“It did not go well for them.
The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the… pic.twitter.com/hxKGnZMuQZ
TRUMP: "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. The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in… pic.twitter.com/YD8nEsKkPa
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 19, 2026
Trump stated that the USS Spruance, a guided missile destroyer, had intercepted the Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Touska. American forces then warned the Touska to cease their attempt to evade the blockade. After the Iranians refused to comply, the Spruance then “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the [engine room,]” according to Trump.
Trump further indicated that U.S. Marines now maintained control of the vessel and have begun a search.
This is the second time that the Spruance has gained publicity during the blockade, as the ship had previously conducted one of the first stoppages of a ship after the United States began the blockade days ago.
CENTCOM: “Yesterday, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel tried to evade the U.S. blockade after leaving Bandar Abbas, exiting the Strait of Hormuz, and transiting along the Iranian coastline. The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) successfully redirected the vessel,… pic.twitter.com/zhEolRCqlM
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 16, 2026
Tensions continue to rise amid the ceasefire between the two nations, which are slated to hold peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday.,
