Video footage from US Central Command captures the intense moment when US marines boarded an Iranian tanker following an alleged incident of damaging the engine room. The footage depicts marines descending from a US aircraft onto the Iranian tanker as it neared the Strait of Hormuz, with a helicopter observed circling the vessel before the boarding operation.
The US assumed “full custody” of the cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, marking the initial interception since the blockade began recently. Central Command shared the video, stating, “U.S. Marines departed the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) via helicopter to board and seize M/V Touska.”
The marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel on April 19, following the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance disabling Touska’s propulsion due to the ship’s non-compliance with repeated warnings from US forces over a six-hour period.
Former President Donald Trump confirmed the US seizure of the Iranian vessel for attempting to breach the naval blockade, announcing on social media, “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, “The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.”