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US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that American naval forces shot out the engine room of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship as it tried to breach a naval blockade, then seized the stricken vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
Mr Trump said the vessel, named Touska, tried to get through the US blockade but that it "did not go well for them”.
"The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska in the Gulf of Oman and gave them fair warning to stop,” Mr Trump said 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. Right now, US Marines have custody of the vessel.”
He said the Treasury Department had earlier imposed sanctions on the Touska.
The US military's Central Command later published an account of the interception and said the Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into its engine room.
Centcom published a video of the incident. A sailor can be heard giving a warning to the crew of the Touska to leave its engine room before several shots are fired. It is not clear from the video what was hit.
