U.S. Navy destroyer USS Spruance disabled the engine of a cargo ship and Marines later boarded the vessel as America continued to impose its blockade of Iranian ports.
As per U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) statements, Iranian-flagged container ship M/V Touska was intercepted at the weekend in the Arabian Sea en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran, before it could enter the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Spruance “disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 gun into Touska’s engine room.”
Later, U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit flew from amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli by helicopter and boarded and seized the cargo ship.
America said the actions had been taken after the ship had failed to change course despite “repeated warnings over six hours.”
The latest escalation threw into doubt further rounds of peace talks scheduled tomorrow (Tuesday) in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire, which has seen a suspension of U.S. air strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury, is set to expire on Wednesday.
CENTCOM stated: “American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance. Since the blockade’s commencement, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port.”
However, Iran’s joint military command dubbed the seizure “piracy”, claimed it violated the conditions of the ceasefire, and threatened to retaliate. It has not yet been confirmed that representatives from Tehran will attend the peace talks.
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