Iranian cargo vessel seized by US military - CENTCOM

An Iranian cargo vessel that was seized earlier by the U.S. forces was traveling en route to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported.

"Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran," the command said, adding that U.S. forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.

"After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room," the statement reads.

CENTCOM added that U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military had seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman for trying to breach the naval blockade.

Following negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on April 11, the U.S. Central Command announced that on April 13, it would begin a naval blockade of Iran, preventing the movement of all ships heading to ports in the Islamic Republic, as well as attempting to sail from its shores.