WANA (Apr 19) – The President of the United States has claimed that U.S. naval forces intercepted and took control of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

 

In a statement, he said the ship, named “Touska,” had attempted to pass through what he described as a U.S. “naval blockade,” but was confronted by a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer. According to him, after issuing warnings to the Iranian vessel and being ignored by its crew, the destroyer “USS Spruance” disabled the ship by taking action that damaged its engine.

 

Trump also claimed that U.S. Marines now have full control of the vessel and are inspecting its cargo. He added that the ship had previously been under U.S. Treasury sanctions for what he described as “illegal activities.”

 

These claims come amid growing speculation about a new round of negotiations between Iran and the United States. However, at the time of this report, the matter has not been confirmed or denied by officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.