U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday that the United States Navy opened fire on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman before taking control of it.
In a message published on his Truth Social network, the U.S. president stated that a vessel identified as the Touska, approximately 275 meters long, allegedly attempted to breach what Washington describes as a U.S. naval blockade.
“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship attempted to break our naval blockade, but it did not go well for them,” he wrote.
According to his statement, the missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the vessel and issued a “clear warning” for it to stop. Donald Trump claims that the Iranian crew refused to comply, which led the U.S. ship to “stop it dead in its tracks” by damaging its engine room.
The U.S. president also stated that the ship is currently under the control of U.S. forces and will be subject to U.S. Treasury sanctions related to its alleged activities.
These statements come as several American media outlets reported the day before that the U.S. military was preparing to board oil tankers and commercial vessels linked to Iran in international waters in the coming days.
In another message, Donald Trump said that a U.S. delegation would travel to Pakistan on Monday to restart talks with Iran. He also mentioned a “reasonable deal” offer to Tehran, while warning that, if rejected, the United States could “destroy all power plants and all bridges in Iran.”
No official Iranian response had been confirmed at the time of reporting.
