World

U.S. Navy Fires on Iranian Tanker, Seizes Vessel in Gulf

By Mike Harper · April 20, 2026

The fragile ceasefire with Iran took its most serious blow yet Sunday. And this time, it came with a cannon shot.

President Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy had fired on and seized the Touska, a nearly 900-foot Iranian-flagged cargo ship, after the vessel attempted to breach the U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman. According to Trump, the USS Spruance intercepted the Touska after the crew refused multiple warnings to stop over a six-hour period.

“Our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom,” Trump wrote.

U.S. Central Command confirmed the seizure, saying it had issued repeated warnings before acting and that “American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner.” The Touska was already under U.S. Treasury sanctions for prior illegal activity, according to Trump. U.S. Marines now have custody of the vessel.

Iran’s response was immediate. The Iranian military called the seizure an “act of aggression” and “maritime highway robbery,” and warned that its armed forces would “soon respond and retaliate.” Iran’s state broadcaster said the ship had been traveling from China to Iran with its navigational equipment destroyed by U.S. forces.

The seizure came hours after Trump had announced a new round of peace talks was being arranged in Islamabad, Pakistan — and while the two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire was still technically in effect, set to expire Wednesday. Iran cited the ongoing blockade as a “breach of trust” and pulled out of the expected Monday talks, calling U.S. positions unrealistic and contradictory.

Trump fired back.

“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz — A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement!”

He then posted a direct threat, warning that unless Iran agreed to a deal, the United States would “knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”

The broader situation has deteriorated sharply. Iran had briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire before closing it again, blaming the U.S. blockade. On Saturday, Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats fired warning shots near Indian and British-flagged vessels attempting to transit the strait. India summoned Iran’s ambassador in protest. The U.S. blockade, now in its second week, had turned back 23 ships as of Sunday.

Oil prices jumped roughly 7% Sunday on news of the renewed Strait closure, with Brent crude climbing to nearly $97 a barrel. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN that gasoline prices — now averaging $4.05 nationally — may not return below $3 a gallon until “next year.”

Whether Iran sends a delegation to Pakistan this week, whether the ceasefire survives past Wednesday, and whether the ship seizure triggers the military retaliation Iran has threatened — all of it is unresolved. What is certain is that Sunday marked the most direct military confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces since the ceasefire began.