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Iran's military joint command accused the United States Monday of "maritime piracy and ceasefire violation" after U.S. Marines boarded and seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska in the Gulf of Oman.
Tehran warned that "the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate," as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released footage of Marines abseiling from a helicopter onto the vessel after USS Spruance fired into the ship's engine room.
The spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters issued a formal statement on Mehr News Agency.
"The aggressor United States, violating the ceasefire and committing maritime piracy, fired upon one of Iran's commercial vessels in the waters of the Gulf of Oman, disabled its navigation system, and assaulted it by landing a number of its terrorist marines on the deck of the said vessel," the statement said.
"We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate for this armed maritime robbery by the American army," it added.
According to CENTCOM, the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, was intercepted by guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance while attempting to sail toward the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
U.S. forces issued "multiple warnings" to the vessel over a six-hour period.
When the ship failed to comply, the Spruance instructed the crew to evacuate the engine room before firing several rounds into it using its Mark 45 gun, disabling the propulsion system.
Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit then boarded the cargo ship, descending by helicopter from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli.
"American forces acted in a deliberate, professional and proportional manner to ensure compliance," CENTCOM stated. It added that approximately 25 commercial vessels had been directed to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the blockade began.
Trump announced the operation on Truth Social: "The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room."
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