Dramatic footage shows US Marines boarding an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, marking the first interception since Donald Trump’s naval blockade began on Monday
Video footage released by US Central Command captures the dramatic moment US marines stormed an Iranian tanker after reportedly ‘blowing hole in engine room’.
The footage shows marines rappelling from a US aircraft onto the Iranian tanker as it approached the Strait of Hormuz, with a helicopter visible circling the vessel ahead of the boarding operation.
The US took “full custody” of the cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, marking the first interception since the blockade commenced on Monday.
Central Command posted alongside the video on X: “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’s propulsion when the commercial ship failed to comply with repeated warnings from U.S. forces over a six-hour period.”
Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that the US had seized an Iranian-flagged vessel for attempting to breach the naval blockade, posting on his social media platform: “Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them.”
He further stated: “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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