The Iranian ship seized by U.S. Marines on Monday after attempting to break through President Trump’s blockade was reportedly found to be carrying dual-use chemicals shipped from China that are commonly used to manufacture ballistic missiles.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! The Iranian-flagged ship Touska, which the US military seized yesterday, was in-bound from China “loaded with dual-use chemicals used to manufacture ballistic missiles,” per WP
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 21, 2026
US Marines are now searching 5,000 containers on board.
No wonder they tried to run the… pic.twitter.com/Vjl5Z1ynLR
In an interview on Tuesday, President Trump confirmed the report, describing the chemicals as a "gift from China." He added that he was surprised by it because he thought he "had an understanding with President Xi."
"You know, they're trying to move the missiles, because we've obliterated most of their missiles, and they're trying to move their missiles around, even during the ceasefire, which I think was a good thing, because we're totally loaded up," he said. "We have so much ammo. We have so much of everything that we've, like, much, much more powerful than it was four or five weeks ago."
"So we've used [the ceasefire] to restock, and they probably have done a little bit of restocking. We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which wasn't very nice. A gift from China, perhaps," President Trump said. "I don't know. But I was a little surprised, because I have a very good relationship, and I thought I had an understanding with President Xi, but that's all right. That's the way war goes, right?"
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. President Trump reveals he caught CHINA possibly trying to give Iran a "gift" during the ceasefire
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 21, 2026
"I thought I had an understanding with President Xi — but that's alright. That's the way WAR goes!"
"We caught a ship yesterday that had some things on it, which… pic.twitter.com/9qou2vz2G6
It remains unclear if the discovery has any influence on negotiations with Iran or the president's dealings with China.
This comes as the United States’ two-week ceasefire with Iran nears its end, with the deadline now extended to Wednesday. Iran is expected to send a final negotiating team for talks on Tuesday, though it remains unclear whether those discussions will have any impact, as the delegation is said to favor terms that differ from key figures inside Iran, including hardline members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"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," President Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. "The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel."
"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! President DONALD J. TRUMP."