Over the weekend, a violation of the blockade by an Iranian cargo ship led to its detention by the US military. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed the process by which the US forces took action to apprehend the “M/V Touska” during a press conference at the Pentagon on Friday, April 24th.
Caine stated that the “M/V Touska” was the only vessel that did not choose to “wisely turn around” amidst the US military’s implementation of the port blockade operation. As of that Friday morning, 34 vessels encountering the blockade had opted to retreat, while the “M/V Touska” attempted to forcefully break through. The operation occurred on the previous Sunday, April 19th, with a US destroyer issuing multiple clear warnings over a 6-hour interception process, informing the ship of its violation of the blockade order.
When the warnings went unheeded, the US forces executed a pre-calibrated escalation plan, including the firing of 5 warning shots. Caine emphasized that after exhausting all measures, the Central Command (CENTCOM) authorized a “disabling shot” against the ship. The sailors first warned the crew to evacuate the compartments, following which the destroyer accurately fired 5 inert rounds from the Mk 45 5-inch gun at the ship’s compartments.
After the engine was disabled, the Iranian cargo ship came to a halt at sea and began complying with the US military’s commands. At 4 p.m. that afternoon, US Marine Corps personnel landed on the ship by helicopter, officially taking control of the vessel. Currently, the “M/V Touska” and its crew remain detained by the US, in a secure state.
In addition to the “M/V Touska,” Caine provided updates on two other Iranian “shadow fleet” ships confiscated in the Indian Ocean – the “M/T Tifani” and the stateless oil tanker “M/T Majestic X.”
“M/T Tifani”:
Caine described the ship as a super tanker equivalent in size to a US aircraft carrier, with a capacity of approximately 2 million barrels. On Monday, at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, forces dispatched by the Indo-Pacific Command responded to a Department of Justice request, boarding and intercepting this vessel carrying sanctioned oil.
“M/T Majestic X”:
On Wednesday evening at 11 p.m., US forces conducted another interception operation using rotary-wing assets, gaining control of the ship’s bridge.
Caine emphasized that both oil tankers and their crews are currently detained by the US. He concluded by stating, “We will continue to conduct similar maritime interception operations against Iranian ships and the shadow fleet in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.”