The United States Navy fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named the Touska on Sunday after the vessel attempted to pass through the U.S. naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump announced the interception on his Truth Social platform, writing that the nearly 900-foot ship ignored warnings to stop before a Navy vessel "blew a hole in the engine room" and took full custody of it. U.S. Central Command released footage of the interception, which showed a gun firing in the direction of the cargo ship.

Iran's top military headquarters, Khatam al-Anbiya, called the boarding an act of armed piracy and a violation of the existing ceasefire between the two countries, and vowed that Iranian armed forces would "soon respond" with retaliation. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said his country would not participate in a new round of face-to-face talks with the United States, citing what he described as Washington's "maximalist position." Iranian state media reported that officials would not attend any further negotiations while the U.S. blockade remained in place, and Iran's state news agency IRNA called reports of a second round of talks "not true."

The seizure is the first such interception since the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports last week, following an initial round of U.S.-Iran negotiations that ended without an agreement. The conflict between the two countries began with U.S. and Israeli strikes across Iran on February 28, followed by five weeks of attacks across the Middle East before a two-week truce was declared. Key unresolved issues include Iran's nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transport corridor.

Despite Iran's stated refusal to attend, the White House confirmed that a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, and including advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, was set to arrive in Islamabad, Pakistan — the designated mediating country — on Monday. The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is scheduled to expire Wednesday, and Iran's military threat of retaliation following the Touska seizure places the durability of that truce in serious doubt. Trump said Friday that the naval blockade would remain in effect until a deal is reached, adding that the U.S. intended to recover approximately 970 pounds of enriched uranium believed to be buried under Iranian nuclear sites damaged in last year's strikes.