U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military stopped an Iranian cargo ship that tried to break through the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said on the 19th (local time) on his social media, Truth Social, "Today, an Iranian cargo ship named 'Tuska,' about 900 feet (about 275 meters) long and weighing as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to break through our maritime blockade, and it did not go well."
He added, "The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer Spruance blocked the Tuska in the Gulf of Oman and issued a lawful warning to stop, but the Iranian crew did not comply, and our Navy warship put a hole in the engine room to stop it."
Trump also said, "Now the U.S. Marines are seizing that vessel," adding, "We are seeing what is inside." He said the Iranian cargo ship had been on the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions list for a history of illegal activity.
With circumstances suggesting the U.S. military fired on and seized the Iranian cargo ship, the move is expected to become a variable in end-of-war talks between the United States and Iran. Regarding this incident, there is also a possibility Iran will deem it an "act of hostility" and claim it is a "truce agreement violation."
With the 'two-week truce' set to end on the 21st, Trump is seen as having carried out this operation to ratchet up pressure on Iran to the maximum. It is also assessed as a response to Iran's military reimposing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacking vessels.
The U.S. daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that while the United States had previously turned back more than 20 Iranian ships that tried to sail through the U.S. military's blockade, this is the first known case in which force was used.