U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States has seized an Iranian cargo ship and is inspecting its contents. This incident, occurring just days before the ceasefire deadline on the 21st (local time), is anticipated to become a significant factor in the ongoing peace negotiations.
Trump stated on Truth Social on the 19th (local time) that the 900-foot Iranian-flagged cargo ship “Tuscah” had been seized. “The Tuscah attempted to breach our Navy’s blockade, but things did not go well for them,” Trump asserted.
“The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance issued proper warnings to the Tuscah in the Gulf of Oman, but the Iranian crew did not comply,” Trump continued. “Our naval vessel put a hole in the Tuscah’s engine room and brought the ship to a halt immediately.”
“U.S. Marines have now taken control of the vessel,” he added. “The Tuscah has a history of illegal activity and is subject to U.S. Treasury Department sanctions.” Trump emphasized, “We have fully seized this vessel and are inspecting what is inside.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American military activities in the Middle East, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “over a period of six hours, we issued multiple warnings to the vessel and notified it that it was violating U.S. blockade measures.” It further stated, “When the warnings were not followed, we ordered evacuation of the ship’s engine room.” CENTCOM also explained, “We fired multiple rounds from a 5-inch MK 45 naval gun into the Tuscah’s engine room, disabling its propulsion system,” adding that “Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit then boarded the ship.”
Reuters assessed that “these developments suggest peace will not come to the Middle East anytime soon and indicate that the naval blockade is likely to remain in place.”
The incident occurred as the United States and Iran are engaged in intense brinkmanship over second-round negotiations ahead of the two-week ceasefire deadline on the 21st. Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday that “my delegation will be in Islamabad, Pakistan, tomorrow (the 20th) evening for negotiations.” He also warned, “We have made a very fair and reasonable offer and we hope they accept it. Otherwise, we will bring down every power plant and bridge in Iran.”
Regarding the composition of the U.S. delegation heading to Islamabad, Trump said in an ABC News interview that Vice President JD Vance, who had led the first round of negotiations, would not lead the delegation, adding, “It’s only because of security concerns.” The White House subsequently corrected the statement, confirming that Vance would attend.
On the other hand, Tasnim News, representing Iran’s military and hardliners, reported Wednesday, citing internal sources, that “Iran has not yet decided to send a negotiation delegation” and that “there will be no negotiations as long as the (U.S.) naval blockade continues.” Fox News, citing Iran’s state news agency IRNA, reported that “Iran has rejected the second round of talks, citing excessive U.S. demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in position, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade.”
However, The Wall Street Journal pointed out that “Iran had stated before the first round of talks that its attendance would depend on whether a Lebanon ceasefire was reached, but attended the talks even though no agreement had been reached.” The paper added, “Iran has made threatening statements suggesting non-participation in negotiations in the past, but has ultimately taken part.”
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