The United States Central Command released a new video early Monday morning of Marines boarding and seizing an Iranian ship that tried to bypass the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump announced Sunday the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fired upon and seized the Touska, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship trying to blow past the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In the 33-second video posted on X by CENTCOM, Marines are seen rappelling onto the vessel from Sikorsky MH-60S helicopters, a navalized version of the UH-60 Blackhawk.
WATCH:
“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,” CENTCOM said in the post. “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.”
Trump declared he was imposing a naval blockade targeting in an April 12 Truth Social post, saying ships that paid an Iranian toll in either Chinese yuan or cryptocurrency would be intercepted by the U.S. Navy.
“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room,” CENTCOM detailed in the post. “U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.”
The seizure comes after the president suggested he could personally head to Pakistan to partake in a second round of negotiations with Iran, contingent on his envoys securing a deal. It also follows Iranian officials restricting the Strait’s access again and then firing on a tanker.
Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers have a five-inch gun, two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes and can carry a variety of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, according to a U.S. Navy fact file. In a Sunday post on X, CENTCOM provided details on how the Spruance intercepted and disabled the Touska.
In addition to the five-inch gun, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers have two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes and can carry a variety of surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles.
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