US forces disable vessel that violated blockade by attempting to enter Iranian port

U.S. forces in the Arabian Sea disabled an Iranian‑flagged cargo ship and placed it in custody on April 19 after the vessel failed to heed repeated warnings under a U.S. naval blockade. The guided‑missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted the M/V Touska in the north Arabian Sea as it traveled at 17 knots toward Bandar Abbas, Iran, and notified the crew the ship was violating the blockade, officials said.

After a six‑hour period in which the crew did not comply, Spruance ordered the engine room evacuated and fired several rounds from its 5‑inch Mk 45 gun into the space to halt the ship’s propulsion. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit subsequently boarded the vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.

The military characterized the operation as measured and aimed at compelling compliance. Since the blockade began, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial ships to turn around or return to an Iranian port.