Iran Vows Retaliation After US Fires on Its Ship in Gulf of Oman
US President Donald Trump stated that US forces fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. Iran’s military vowed to retaliate.
“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 quoted by the ISNA news agency, reported by AFP on Monday (20/4/2026).
Khatam accused the United States of violating the ceasefire in effect since 8 April.
Trump had previously stated that US forces fired upon and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. The seizure occurred after the vessel 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 breach our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, as reported by CNN and AFP.
“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 tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room. Currently, US Marines have secured the ship.”
Trump’s announcement comes as he accused Iran of violating the current ceasefire agreement with its actions in the vital waterway route. Tehran once again blocked the route for most ships through the strait, citing US “breaches of trust”.
The incident occurs 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 US-Israel war with Iran began seven weeks ago.
Iran 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 US’s ongoing blockade of ships sailing to and from Iranian ports.
Trump said Touska was under sanctions from the US Department of the Treasury “due to a history of previous illegal activities.” Touska is listed on the website of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as an Iranian-flagged container ship 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, said Touska had sailed from Malaysia.