Accused by Trump of Gifting Cargo Ship to Iran, China Strongly Denies
China’s Foreign Ministry has strongly denied accusations from US President Donald Trump regarding an Iranian-flagged cargo ship seized by US forces, which Trump suggested might be a “gift from China”.
Washington stated that its forces fired upon and seized an Iranian cargo ship accused of attempting to evade the US blockade on Tehran’s ports.
Iran’s military, in its statement, said the ship was sailing from China and vowed to retaliate against what it called an “armed hijacking by the US military”.
Trump, speaking to CNBC media on Tuesday (21 April), said the ship seized by the US “had some items inside that weren’t too good. Maybe a gift from China, I don’t know”.
China’s Foreign Ministry, as reported by Reuters on Friday (24 April 2026), firmly rejected Trump’s comments.
“China opposes any accusations and associations that lack factual basis,” said spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun, to journalists in Beijing on Friday (24 April).
“Normal international trade relations between countries must not be interfered with and sabotaged,” he cautioned.
The Iranian-flagged container ship Touska was boarded and seized by US forces on Sunday (19 April) local time. According to maritime security sources on Monday (20 April), the cargo ship likely carried items that Washington considers dual-use goods that could be used by the military.
Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Amir Saeed Iravani, has officially requested the UN to force the US to release the cargo ship and its crew immediately and without conditions.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the UN Security Council on Tuesday (21 April), Iravani described the US action as “ongoing international violations by the United States against the Islamic Republic, including the deliberate targeting of Iranian commercial vessels.”
He emphasised how US forces had seized the ship in the Gulf of Oman, near Iran’s coastline, in a “hostile and illegal attack.”