Trump said in statements that U.S. Marines had seized the Iranian cargo ship Toska after it attempted to breach the American naval blockade, “but its attempt failed.”
He added: “The Iranian cargo ship Toska is under U.S. sanctions because of its illegal activities,” noting that the ship was stopped by detonating a hole in its engine room.
He indicated that U.S. forces are holding the Iranian cargo ship and conducting an investigation to determine what is inside it.
This comes one day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his readiness to “seize” Iranian commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, citing U.S. officials, that “Washington is planning to seize Iranian commercial ships in international waters.”
It added that the U.S. military is preparing to raid ships linked to Iran in the coming days and that Trump is optimistic that the “economic fury” campaign against Iranian vessels will help facilitate reaching an agreement.