Iran Furious Over US Shooting of Ship, Threatens Larger Retaliation
US President Donald Trump claimed that US forces fired upon and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman. The claim was immediately met with strong threats from Iran’s military.
“We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed hijacking and the US military,” said the spokesperson for the Khatam Al-Anbiya military command centre, as reported by detikNews on Monday (20/4/2026).
Khatam accused the United States of violating the ceasefire that has been in place since 8 April.
Trump had previously stated that US forces fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. The seizure occurred after the ship attempted to pass through the US Navy blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named Touska, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to pass our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“The US Navy’s Guided Missile Destroyer USS Spruance intercepted Touska in the Gulf of Oman and gave them a warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our naval vessel stopped them right in their path by blowing a hole in the engine room. Currently, US Marines have secured the ship.”
Trump’s announcement came as he accused Iran of violating the current ceasefire agreement with its actions in the vital waterway route. Tehran has once again blocked the route for most ships through the strait, citing the US’s “breach of trust”.
The incident occurred amid high tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, which has been practically closed since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran seven weeks ago.
Iran had briefly reopened the strait on Friday in recognition of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, but closed it again the next day in response to the ongoing US blockade of ships sailing to and from Iranian ports.
Trump stated that Touska is under sanctions from the US Department of the Treasury due to its history of previous illegal activities. Touska is listed on the website of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury as an Iranian-flagged container under US sanctions.
According to the latest available data from the Marine Traffic website, about six hours before Trump’s announcement, Touska was approximately 45 kilometres (28 miles) off the southern coast of Iran, near the city of Chabahar.
Another ship tracking site, Tanker Tracker, stated that Touska was sailing from Malaysia.