Iran confirms US seized Iranian vessel, says it will retaliate ‘soon’
Iran has vowed to 'retaliate soon' following the seizure of an Iranian vessel by US forces. US President Donald Trump confirmed the interception of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship amid an ongoing naval blockade, marking an escalation in tensions between the two nations.
- Middle East
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 06:53 | 20 April 2026
Iran confirmed early Monday that US forces seized an Iranian vessel and warned that it would retaliate "soon."
According to Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, 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.
Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said US forces opened fire at 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 Sunday, US 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."
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