Late on Sunday, a US destroyer attacked an Iranian-flagged container ship which, despite repeated warnings, had breached the US blockade to enter and leave Iranian ports, the US Defence Command said on social media.
When the captain of the Iranian vessel Touska ignored several US radio messages warning him to stop, the missile destroyer USS Spruance – one of the many patrol vessels enforcing the US blockade at the Strait of Hormuz – ordered the Touska’s crew to evacuate the engine room. The destroyer then fired several shots at the ship’s engine room whilst it was heading towards the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, according to the US Central Command, as reported by the New York Times.
İlginizi çekebilir:
USA: Naval blockade cripples Iran’s economy
Subsequently, the ship, which was already subject to US sanctions, was boarded by US soldiers and taken into US custody.
Iran has since described the seizure of the ship as “piracy” and a breach of the ceasefire agreement. President Donald Trump has announced that the US is sending a negotiating delegation to Pakistan, but it is unclear whether the Iranians will also send a delegation following the attack on the ship.
