The US military seized the Iran-flagged M/V Touska, a cargo container ship, on Sunday after it said that the ship failed to comply with warnings and tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
The USS Spurance Destroyer intercepted the Iranian ship in the Gulf of Oman. They took custody of the ship after it reportedly refused to heed warnings to stop, according to US President Donald Trump. The boarding occurred after a six-hour stand-off between the ships.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the operation was conducted after the Spurance disabled the Touska’s propulsion.
The CENTCOM released footage that showed moments before the tanker was seized. “Motor vessel Touska, Motor vessel Touska. Vacate your engine room. Vacate your engine room. We are about to subject you to disabling fire,” can be heard in the video before guns fire. The US forces wanted the crew to evacuate the engine room before firing at it.
According to data from Tanker Trackers the Touska had departed from Port Klang in Malaysia with regular cargo. MarineTraffic.con, a container ship tracking site, owned by Kpler, also showed that the ship began its journey from Port Klang.
Data from Kpler, meanwhile said that the ship was travelling back from Gaolan port in Zhuhai, a southern port in Southeast of China, The Washington Post reported. Experts say that the Gaolan port is known for loading sodium perchlorate, which is used in making solid rocket fuel.
Before its current journey it had been going back and forth between China's Zhuhai and Iranian ports according to AIS data at Gaolan. It reportedly left China on March 29 and departed Port Klang around April 12.
Tanker Trackers said that the ship had passed through the US blockade before the interception.
The Touska was reportedly headed to the Port of Bandar Abbas in Iran. The vessel was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea in 2007 and can carry around 5,000 standard shipping containers.
The incident has gained significant attention as the Touska is the first vessel to be forcibly seized by the US Navy amid the blockade.
Experts say that what heppens to the ship maybe determined by what it is carrying.
The interception took place around 550 kilometres east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman.
Trump said that the ship was under sanctions due to prior illegal activity. Multiple countries had sanctioned the vessel, and it had been banned from several international ports as it was owned by the Islamic Republic of Shipping Lines (IRISL). The company was sanctioned by the US, EU and Britain after the US state department described it as the “preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents.”
“We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Iran has denounced the seizure as an act of piracy. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also said that Tehran had no plans to send its negotiators to Islamabad for the next round of talks. The Iranian military has also warned of a retaliation for the seizure of Touska.