US seizes Iranian flagged cargo ship, Trump claims52 minutes agoKathryn A ArmstrongEPAThe US has intercepted a cargo ship with Iranian flag in the Gulf, as part of its Naval Blockade, Donald Trump said. The US president wrote on the Truth Social platform that Touska was seized after the US Navy failed to respond to an order to stop. Iran has yet to comment on the incident. The announcement came after White House confirmed US Vice President JD Vance will lead another delegation to a second round on ending the war in Pakistan with Iran. Tehran has not confirmed its attendance. Iranian state media reported that officials would not participate as long as the US blockade is in place. “Today, a cargo ship with Iranian flag, named TOUSKA, weighing nearly as much as an airplane carrier and measuring nearly 900 feet in length, tried to get through our Naval Blockade. It did not go well,” Trump wrote. He said that the US had warned the vessel to stop but it was ignored. “Our Navy ship stopped them in their tracks by blowing out a hole in their engineroom”. “The TOUSKA has been placed under US Treasury Sanctions due to their previous history of illegal activities. We have full control of the ship and are examining what’s inside! US Central Command released footage that it claimed showed a navy vessel intercepting cargo ship. Trump says US navy seizes Iranian-flagged ship after first round of talks failed earlier this month. Trump announced the naval blocade following the failure of the first round of negotiations. Trump announced the naval blockade after a first round of negotiations earlier this month ended without an agreement. The ceasefire will expire on Tuesday. According to a White House official, Vance will be joined by Trump advisers Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Jared Witkoff, who were also present at previous talks. Iran’s official news agency IRNA has denied reports of a second round with the US. It added that the US blockade, along with “excessive” demands and threatening rhetoric from Washington, had “so far hindered the progress of the negotiations”.Nevertheless, preparations for further discussions have begun in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. US Central Command/XGuests were told to leave the hotel where talks between the US delegation and Iranian delegation took place last weekend, the BBC’s Pakistan reporter reported. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz sharif spoke with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian Sunday evening, according a statement issued by his office. The statement did not mention any further talks between Iran, and the US. The Strait of Hormuz remained shut on Sunday after the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps announced that it would end a temporary reopening to the US naval blockade. Iran said that it would remain closed until the US ended their naval blockade. The strait is used to transport about 20% of the world’s oil and LNG. Trump has said that Iran cannot “blackmail the US” with threats about the waterway. He threatened to knock down every bridge and power station in Iran if Tehran refused to agree to a peaceful deal. “If they don’t take the DEAL… it will be my honour to do what needs to be done,” Trump wrote on Sunday in a Truth Social post. The US president also accused Iran of violating a ceasefire on Saturday by attacking ships in Strait of Hormuz. He said that a French ship as well as a UK freighter were among the targets. CMA CGM, a French shipping company, confirmed that one vessel was fired upon. They told AFP that the vessel “was the victim of warning shots”. According to both the UK defence and transport ministry, there were no reports on Saturday of attacks on UK-linked vessels. However, two reports were made of a cargo ship and a tanker being attacked in strait. According to tracking site MarineTraffic, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was at a standstill Sunday. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that two tankers “sailing on the flags of Botswana, and Angola”, wanted to travel through Hormuz, but were “forced by the timely action of Iran’s armed forces to change course and withdraw”.
