The US seized an Iranian cargo ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz [Getty]
Iran has vowed retaliation after accusing the US of violating a ceasefire by attacking and seizing an Iranian commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman, in a move that risks further escalation in an already volatile standoff.
Tehran said the incident amounted to “maritime piracy” after US forces opened fire on the ship, disabled it, and boarded it.
Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, said Washington had “violated the ceasefire and committed an act of maritime piracy after opening fire on an Iranian commercial vessel in the waters of the Sea of Oman, disabling its navigation system, then deploying a number of terrorist marine infantry onto the ship and assaulting it”.
He warned that Iran’s armed forces “will soon respond to this armed act and maritime piracy committed by the US military and will exact revenge”.
Iranian authorities said the vessel had been travelling from China to Iran when it was targeted, adding that Iranian forces also attacked US military ships with drones following the incident.
The US Central Command said the vessel, identified as the MV Tosca, was intercepted after failing to comply with repeated warnings issued over six hours.
The US military said Marines boarded the Iranian-flagged ship after the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) disabled its propulsion system.
CENTCOM said: “Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel…) 689+after the vessel failed to comply with repeated warnings issued by US forces over six hours.”
US President Donald Trump confirmed the operation, saying the ship had attempted to breach a naval blockade imposed by Washington. Writing on Truth Social, he said the cargo ship Tosca “attempted to break our naval blockade”.
He added that the vessel ignored orders to stop, prompting US forces to “completely halt it by creating a breach in the engine room”, and said: “US Marines are now in control of the vessel.”
In a separate statement, CENTCOM said that after the ship failed to comply with repeated warnings, the USS Spruance ordered its crew to “evacuate the engine room”, which was then fired upon to disable the vessel’s propulsion.
The US military added that Marines boarded “the non-compliant vessel, which remains detained,” without providing further details on the operation.
According to US figures, 25 vessels have complied with orders to turn back since Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports on 13 April.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route, after Iran briefly reopened the waterway following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah before closing it again as the US insisted that a blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
Diplomatic efforts to revive US-Iran talks in Pakistan now appear increasingly uncertain.
A second round of negotiations in Islamabad had been expected ahead of the ceasefire deadline on Wednesday, with US envoys reportedly en route, but Tehran has signalled it may not participate at all, citing Washington’s naval blockade and these recent military actions as violations of the truce.
Iranian officials have said there are currently “no plans” to send a delegation, casting doubt over whether talks will go ahead, even as Pakistani mediators continue efforts to bring both sides back to the table.
