Trump confirms US Navy bombed and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship as conflict takes a new turn

• President Trump says the cargo ship named TOUSKA is almost the size of an aircraft carrier.

• American Naval forces ordered the ship to stop, but the crew refused.

• The Naval forces shot a missile at the ship, which immobilized it and allowed the US Navy to take control of it.

In a post on his Truth Social account, President Donald J Trump shared that the American Navy intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship at the Gulf of Oman. According to Trump, the cargo ship, which is nearly 900 feet long and weighs the size of an aircraft carrier tried to get past the US Navy ship USS SPRUANCE who gave the ship a "fair warning to stop".

In the post shared on X by the Secretary of War, Peter Hegseth, the US Navy blew a hole in the cargo ship's engine room when the crew refused to stop despite the warning. Trump added that the ship was under sanctions by the US Treasury for its prior history of illegal activities, and that the US now has custody of the ship.

This latest development in the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran comes after Trump confirmed that the US was returning to the negotiation table and urged Iran to make a deal, or America might resume dropping bombs in the country.

The bombing of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship signals the resumption of hostilities between the two nations, who last week agreed on a two-week ceasefire as they appeared to be close to reaching a peace deal.

Iran recently announced that it is closing the Strait of Hormuz days after Trump announced that the Islamic Republic had agreed to "unconditionally reopen" the key shipping lane. According to Trump, Iran had agreed not to own nuclear weapons and to hand over its uranium enrichment hidden underground to the United States, and also unconditionally reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

The news of the free passage in the Strait of Hormuz quickly positively impacted stock prices in the US, with crude oil also dropping to below $90 as several nations expressed optimism that the inflow of supply from the Middle East would ease the current global energy crisis.

The battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz continues to be a complicated one, with Iran exercising control and insisting on not providing free passage for ships affiliated with America and Israel. President Trump also sent a naval ship to ensure the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz to stop all oil tankers coming from Iran following the failed peace talks.

So far, the conflict between the US and Iran appears to be entering a critical stage with a second round of talks set to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, following the inability to reach a compromise in earlier negotiations, about which the US Vice President JD Vance said America presented its final offer.