US seizes Iranian ship; Tehran warns of retaliation

Tehran confirmed early on Monday that US forces had seized an Iranian vessel and warned that it would retaliate “soon.”

The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said US forces targeted the vessel, disabled its navigation system, and boarded it after what it described as a ceasefire violation, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said US forces opened fire on the vessel before boarding it.

“The aggressive United States, by violating the ceasefire and engaging in maritime piracy, attacked one of Iran’s vessels after disabling its navigation system,” Zolfaghari said.

He added that US forces boarded the vessel after deploying “a number of terrorist marines” onto it.

“We warn that Iran’s military forces will soon respond to and retaliate against this armed act of piracy by the US military,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday, President Donald Trump said the US had intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship as part of what he described as a naval blockade.

Writing on his platform Truth Social, Trump said: “Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA…tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them.”

He added that the vessel ignored US warnings to stop, saying a US Navy ship “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev