'It didn't go well for them!' US forces blow a hole in hulking Iranian ship - then seize it

James Saunders
Sun, 19 Apr 2026 23:47:54 +0000

American forces have blown a hole in the side of a massive Iranian ship - before seizing it altogether.

The 900-foot cargo ship Touska had tried to run the US blockade near the Gulf of Oman, but then refused "fair warning to stop", Donald Trump said on Sunday.

The US Navy fired on and took "full custody" of the vessel, with footage posted by US Central Command showing the moment the USS Spruance opened fire on the tanker.

Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from China towards Iran's Bandar Abbas port.

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"We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military," a military spokesman said.

Mr Trump, meanwhile, said the Touska's attempt to get around the US blockade "did not go well for them".

"The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room," he said. "Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel."

It marks the first known time that the US has fired on a commercial ship during the conflict.

American forces have so far turned back more than 20 Iranian-linked ships since the blockade began - though until Sunday, had never used force to do so.

The US military had earlier threatened to board and seize any vessels attempting to flout its maritime siege of ships heading to or from Iranian ports, which reached its seventh day on Monday.

While the clock counts up on the blockade, a countdown is on for a shaky US-Iranian ceasefire, which is set to expire on Tuesday.

Iran has said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations with the Americans, with Tehran pointing to the blockade, "threatening" rhetoric, Washington's shifting positions and its "excessive demands."

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"One cannot restrict Iran's oil exports while expecting free security for others. The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone," Iran's First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said.

Mr Trump had earlier warned Iran that the United States would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if Tehran rejected his terms.

"NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!" he said. "They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my honour to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years.

"IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!"

His envoys - JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner - are set to return to Pakistani capital Islamabad today.

The President also said Iran "aimed bullets" at a British freighter on Sunday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre has declared the threat to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf was "critical", its highest risk level.

And Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said that any talks between the US and Iran must result in a toll-free passage for vessels through the waterway.

She added: "This argument is not just about the Strait of Hormuz, it is about the precedent this will set for freedom of navigation all over the world.

"If the wrong precedent is set, it would be deeply damaging not just for the global economy, but for global security, and that is why it is an argument we must win."