Helicopters taking off in the darkness, images captured in night vision, and then rappelling onto the deck of a huge cargo ship: the sequence broadcast on Monday, April 20 by the US Central Command illustrated a large-scale military operation in the Gulf of Oman.
According to the US military, Marines left the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli to board the “M/V Touska,” an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. The operation took place on the night of Sunday, April 19 to Monday, April 20, after several hours of tension at sea.
U.S. Marines depart amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter and transit over the Arabian Sea to board and seize M/V Touska. The Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel, April 19, after guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska…pic.twitter.com/mFxI5RzYCS — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 20, 2026
The Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska “attempted to break our maritime blockade, and it did not end well for them,” wrote the American president. A US destroyer intercepted the cargo “in the Gulf of Oman and ordered it to stop,” but as the crew refused to comply, the warship immobilized it by firing on the engine room and “the US Marines now have control of the ship,” according to Donald Trump.
A cargo ship immobilized after six hours of warnings
Prior to the assault, the US Navy claimed to have tried several times to force the ship to stop. For six hours, the Touska allegedly ignored the warnings.
Faced with this refusal to comply, the missile-launching destroyer USS Spruance neutralized the cargo ship’s propulsion system, leading to its immobilization. The US forces then proceeded to board it by air via helicopter.
The ship, nearly 275 meters long according to Washington, was accused of attempting to break the blockade of Iranian ports imposed by the United States.
Tehran accuses Washington of “violating the ceasefire”
While the operation was claimed by Donald Trump as an Iranian cargo ship attempting to break the American naval blockade, Tehran reacted sharply by promising to “respond soon” to the US Navy’s takeover of one of its cargo ships.
“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond soon and take retaliatory measures against this act of armed piracy and against the American soldiers,” wrote the Iranian military spokesperson on Telegram, accusing the United States of “violating the ceasefire.”
