Iran accuses US of breaching truce after vessel seized, vows retaliation shortly

Calling it 'armed piracy', Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said that Tehran would respond soon to the seizure.

In Short

• Tehran calls US action 'armed piracy' and vows retaliation
• US Navy seized Iranian cargo ship Touska near Strait of Hormuz
• Trump claims ship ignored warnings and is under US custody

In a major escalation to the ongoing standoff in the Persian Gulf, Iran's military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, on Monday accused the United States of breaching the two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, after the latter intercepted an Iranian-flagged vessel, which allegedly attempted to enter an Iranian port, defying the US naval blockade on the conflict-torn maritime chokepoint Strait of Hormuz.

Calling it an act of 'armed piracy', a spokesperson from the military command said that Tehran would not stay silent about the incident and would provide a befitting response to Washington, news agency Reuters reported, citing Iran's state media.

"The aggressive America, by violating the ceasefire and committing maritime piracy, attacked one of Iran’s commercial ships in the waters of the Sea of Oman by firing upon it and disabling its navigation system by deploying several of its terrorist marines on the deck of the mentioned vessel. We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the U.S. military," the spokesperson said.

He further added that the ship was en route from China to Iran when the US Navy intercepted it.

The development came hours after US President Donald Trump claimed that American forces had taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel after it allegedly attempted to pass through a US naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the vessel, identified as Touska, was intercepted in the Gulf of Oman by the US Navy destroyer USS Spruance.

"Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them," Trump wrote. He claimed the ship ignored warnings and was stopped by US Marines. "Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!" he said. Trump also alleged that the vessel is under US Treasury sanctions due to previous "illegal activity," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Iran, however, initially dismissed Trump's claim. According to a statement by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency, the timely presence and rapid response of the IRGC naval units prevented the US attack on the commercial vessel and compelled the US forces to flee the area.

However, Iran soon stepped back from its original claims after the United States Central Command confirmed the seizure of the ship in the Sea of Oman. The US military also shared a video, showcasing how the Navy captured the commercial vessel.

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