US military strikes Iranian ship attempting to pass through Strait of Hormuz

The United States military seized an Iranian container ship near the Gulf in the early hours of Monday, sending tensions spiralling hours before Washington is due to send negotiators to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending their war, Al Jazeera reports.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) and President Donald Trump claimed the Touska was hit after it refused to follow US orders to withdraw from its planned passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The US has been imposing a naval blockade since last Monday

Iran has responded by describing the attack and hijack as an act of “piracy”, and threatened retribution. On Monday, hours after the attack and capture, Iran said it had no plans to send its negotiators for talks with the US in Islamabad.

This is the first non-military Iranian ship that US forces are known to have hit during the current war, and the first Iranian cargo vessel that the American military has captured since the start of its week-long naval blockade.

A little after midnight in Iran, CENTCOM announced that its guided-missile destroyer, the USS Spruance, had fired its 5-inch (127 mm) MK 45 gun at the ship’s engine room and disabled it.

According to the US military, the Touska was attempting to cross from the Arabian Sea through the Strait of Hormuz and was headed to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

Since April 13, the US military has enforced a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Iran blocking the passage of most vessels through the narrow waterway — except ships belonging to nations that have struck deals with Tehran.

US military strikes Iranian ship attempting to pass through Strait of Hormuz

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