A six-hour standoff in the Arabian Sea ended with U.S. naval gunfire and a seized vessel, marking a sharp escalation in enforcement of Washington’s blockade posture against Iran-linked shipping.
United States Central Command confirmed Sunday that U.S. forces fired into the engine room of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after what it described as repeated violations and refusal to comply with orders.
The confrontation unfolded April 19, when the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) intercepted the M/V Touska in the North Arabian Sea as it headed toward Bandar Abbas, Iran.
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According to CENTCOM, the vessel was traveling at roughly 17 knots when U.S. forces initiated contact and issued multiple warnings, informing the crew it was in violation of a U.S.-enforced maritime blockade.
Those warnings, officials said, went unanswered.
For six hours, U.S. forces attempted to redirect the ship. The situation remained tense but controlled, with repeated communications urging compliance.
Then came the escalation.
After the crew failed to respond, the Spruance ordered the evacuation of the ship’s engine room before firing several rounds from its 5-inch MK 45 naval gun, disabling the vessel’s propulsion.
The move effectively ended the standoff.
U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the disabled ship, securing it without further reported incident. The vessel now remains in U.S. custody.
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
President Trump shared an update on TRUTH Social:
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 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!
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 19, 2026
Iranian officials vowed retaliation after the U.S. fired upon and seized an Iranian vessel in the Arabian Sea on Sunday.
Officials condemned the move as “armed piracy.”
“We warn that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military,” read a statement from Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
