Iran’s military said it will take “decisive action” against the United States after the U.S. government announced it boarded an Iranian-flagged ship that attempted to bypass a week-long naval blockade.
The Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the M/V Touska, was disabled by a guided-missile destroyer as it transited the Arabian Sea on April 19, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.
Central Command said U.S. forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.
After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, the U.S military directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room before the destroyer fired rounds at the cargo vessel, according to Central Command.
“U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody,” Central Command added.
An Iranian military spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said that Tehran would have responded but decided not to because several family members of the vessel’s crew were on board, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.
“Given the current situation, once the safety of the families and crew of the vessel targeted by American aggression is ensured, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary action against” the U.S. military, he said, without elaborating further.
The situation also prompted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to say that Washington’s demands in negotiations and its threats to Iranian ships and ports were “clear signs” of Washington’s disingenuousness ahead of the planned talks.
Abbas Aragchi made the remarks to Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, according to Iranian state media.
Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump said American negotiators would head to Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 20, but it was not immediately clear whether those plans would change. A two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on April 21.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on April 20 that Tehran had no plans to attend any talks with the United States. He did not rule out Iran’s attendance at talks.
Baghaei said on April 19 that the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline is an act of aggression that violates the ceasefire.
By “deliberately inflicting collective punishment on the Iranian population, it amounts to war crime and crimes against humanity,” Baghaei said in a post on social media.
A previous round of negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan resulted in no deal, prompting the Trump administration to implement a blockade of Iranian ports.
Before the ceasefire, the U.S. and Israeli militaries launched numerous strikes on Iranian military targets, prompting Tehran to fire explosive drones and missiles at Israel and other Middle Eastern nations. Iranian officials also effectively shut down commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up oil and gas prices worldwide.
The strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the broader ocean through which about one-fifth of all oil passes, was shut down over Iranian attacks that were launched in the waterway. New attacks in the strait were reported on April 18, drawing condemnation from Trump in a social media post as he warned that the attacks threaten the ceasefire agreement.
“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote in an April 19 post on Truth Social, warning that power plants could be struck by the United States if no deal is made.
The United States is “offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he stated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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