U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One bound for Virginia at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., April 10, 2026.
Evelyn HochsteinReuter
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the U.S. Navy opened fire on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, after which Marines boarded and seized the ship.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance had intercepted the Iranian ship Towska and “gave it reasonable warning to stop.”
“Because the Iranian crew wouldn’t listen, our naval vessels drilled a hole in the engine room to stop them,” Trump said in a post.
“The U.S. Marine Corps is currently in custody of the ship,” the president said.
He noted that the Towska was subject to U.S. Treasury sanctions due to its “history of illegal activity.”
Late Sunday, U.S. Central Command released footage of Spruance’s crew radioing warning the Towska: “We are prepared to expose you to incapacitating fire.”
After warning the crew to evacuate their rooms, Spruance fired several shots from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK gun into Tosca’s engine room, according to a Central Command post on X.
The post said Touska’s crew “did not heed repeated warnings for six hours.”
The United States has been blockading ships entering and exiting Iranian ports since last week.
The seizure is an escalation of the blockade and comes after Iran opened fire on a commercial ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday. This strait lies between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.
A US special envoy led by Vice President J.D. Vance is scheduled to visit Pakistan on Monday for a second round of peace talks with Iran, a White House official told CNBC. Iran has rejected such talks, according to state media reports.
Iran has cited the ongoing blockade, which it sees as a violation of the ceasefire agreed to by the United States and Iran, as one reason for canceling talks in Islamabad scheduled for Monday.
President Trump on Sunday threatened to “destroy every power plant and every bridge in Iran” if Iran doesn’t agree to U.S. terms to end the conflict.
The Pentagon referred CNBC to the White House in response to an investigation seeking further information about the seizure. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
