U.S. Central Command said American forces boarded and seized the Iranian-flagged vessel M/V Touska on April 19 after the ship allegedly failed to comply with repeated warnings from U.S. forces over a six-hour period.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. Marines departed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter, flew over the Arabian Sea, and rappelled onto the commercial vessel to take control of it.

Boarding followed propulsion strike

CENTCOM said the boarding operation took place after the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled the ship’s propulsion.

According to the statement, Spruance acted after the vessel failed to comply with repeated warnings issued by U.S. forces during a six-hour standoff.

“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.”

What CENTCOM said happened

  • U.S. Marines launched from USS Tripoli by helicopter.

  • The operation took place over the Arabian Sea.

  • Marines boarded the vessel by rappelling onto it from the air.

  • CENTCOM said USS Spruance disabled the ship’s propulsion beforehand.

  • The vessel was identified as the Iranian-flagged M/V Touska.

The statement did not provide additional details on the ship’s cargo, the condition of the crew, or whether any injuries were reported during the seizure.

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