ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran vowed retaliation on Monday after President Donald Trump said US forces had taken custody of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, deepening tensions ahead of the upcoming negotiations and the fragile ceasefire due to expire on Wednesday.
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported the incident in a statement, saying that “a few hours ago, American terrorist military forces attacked an Iranian container ship named the Touska, which was en route from China to Iran, in the Gulf of Oman,” describing the US as “the claimant of the world’s largest military force [that] has become the ringleader of pirates!”
It added that “simultaneous with the US announcement of a naval blockade of Iran, Iran has also completely closed the Strait of Hormuz; any ship or tanker passing through the region without Iranian authorization will be punished by Iranian forces.”
Tehran’s response came after Trump said Sunday US forces had taken custody of the vessel, stating, “We have full custody of the ship, and we are seeing what's on board.