{"id":208286,"date":"2026-04-20T08:59:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-says-u-s-seized-iranian-ship-as-tensions-rise-amid-ceasefire-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T08:59:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:59:31","slug":"trump-says-u-s-seized-iranian-ship-as-tensions-rise-amid-ceasefire-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/trump-says-u-s-seized-iranian-ship-as-tensions-rise-amid-ceasefire-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says U.S. seized Iranian ship as tensions rise amid ceasefire – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

BREAKING: Major 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan, tsunami alert issued<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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President Donald Trump<\/a> said Sunday that U.S. forces<\/a> had seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that allegedly attempted to breach a U.S. naval blockade.
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In a post on Truth Social<\/a>, Trump said the nearly 900-foot cargo vessel Touska was intercepted by the Navy destroyer USS Spruance in the Gulf of Oman after ignoring warnings to stop. He said the ship was disabled and boarded, and that U.S. Marines now have custody of the vessel.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the ship’s seizure, saying the repeated warnings happened over a six-hour period.
“American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance,” U.S. Central Command said on X<\/a>.
In response to the ship’s seizure, Iran accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire and “maritime piracy.”
“We warn that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to this act of armed piracy and theft by the America military and will retaliate,” a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said on state television.
The incident underscores how fragile the ceasefire remains, with both sides accusing the other of violations and at odds on when to resume peace talks.
The two-week ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday.
Trump earlier accused Iran of firing on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a \u201ctotal violation\u201d of the ceasefire in a Truth Social post<\/a>.
\u201cWe\u2019re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don\u2019t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,\u201d he continued. \u201cNO MORE MR. NICE GUY!\u201d
His comments came as faltering diplomacy saw Iran reimpose an effective closure of the strait on Saturday, citing a continued U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports<\/a>, just one day after it declared the waterway \u201ccompletely open\u201d under the current ceasefire.
As the two sides traded blame over alleged violations, they also appeared divided over the prospects for a second round of talks. Two senior administration officials told NBC News on Sunday that Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, to continue negotiations with Iran.
Trump had said negotiators would arrive Monday evening in Islamabad, which last weekend hosted direct talks between the two sides.
However, Iranian officials have disputed Trump’s announcement of new talks. Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency denied reports of a second round of negotiations in Islamabad, saying there is \u201cno clear prospect\u201d for talks under current conditions. It cited what it described as excessive U.S. demands, shifting positions and the continued naval blockade, which Iran views as a violation of the ceasefire.
Trump said Sunday that Iran had targeted vessels from France and the United Kingdom. French shipping company CMA CGM said that one of its vessels was the target of warning shots, The Associated Press reported.
Maritime authorities on Saturday reported gunfire and a projectile strike involving Indian vessels<\/a> in the strait. Iranian state media has confirmed that shots were fired near the two Indian ships to force them to turn back.
Iran\u2019s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported two more tankers, sailing under the flags of Botswana and Angola, were forced to turn back by Iran\u2019s forces on Sunday.
Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned vessels against trying to cross the strait, which it said would be considered \u201ccooperation with the enemy,\u201d adding that \u201cany violating vessels would be targeted.\u201d
U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz told NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press\u201d of the planned talks: \u201cWe\u2019ll see what the Iranians decide to do. They can choose to be a responsible member of the international community, or they can continue to be a rogue regime that masters its own people and seeks to hold the world hostage with a nuclear weapon.\u201d
\u201cEverything\u2019s on the table,\u201d he said, suggesting that mixed messaging from Iran on the status of the strait was an indication of \u201creal confusion on the Iranians\u2019 part\u201d and \u201cdiscord within their ranks.\u201d
Iranian officials said Saturday that new U.S. proposals were under review. Iran\u2019s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said <\/a>progress has been made toward a peace deal, with some issues \u201cconcluded,\u201d but he warned Iran still has a \u201ccomplete distrust\u201d of the U.S. negotiators.
Speaking on state TV on Saturday night, Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran\u2019s chief negotiator, said officials had \u201cstated our demands firmly,\u201d adding: \u201cSome issues in the negotiations have been concluded, while others have not. There is still a distance to a final agreement.\u201d
\u201cThere must be a guarantee that this cycle of war, ceasefire and negotiation will not be repeated,\u201d he said.
Ghalibaf said the strait had been closed because the U.S. was only \u201cpartially implementing the ceasefire,\u201d adding that it will remain closed if the \u201cnaval blockade against us continues.\u201d
\u201cIf the ceasefire is not implemented, we will not continue negotiations, and we will start the war,\u201d he said.
Trump convened a Cabinet meeting in the situation room Saturday morning to discuss the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Iran, according to two U.S. officials with knowledge of the meeting.
The president had earlier said that his administration was talking to Iran and that talks were going \u201cvery well.\u201d
But Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Sunday that Trump was seeking to deny Iran its \u201cnuclear rights\u201d and that Iran was trying to end the war \u201cwith full dignity.\u201d
\u201cIf a human being does not defend himself, he is dead,\u201d Pezeshkian said. \u201cThey attacked us, and we defended.\u201d
The Trump administration said its blockade of Iranian ports remains in force, with more than 20 ships turned back since April 13.
Following a summit of 51 countries that was co-chaired by France and the U.K. on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a joint statement \u201ccalled for the unconditional, unrestricted, and immediate re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d
They also announced a joint neutral mission to provide reassurance to merchant vessels in the region.
Freddie Clayton is a freelance journalist based in London.\u00a0
Raquel Coronell Uribe is a breaking news reporter.\u00a0
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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