Recap: Trump says US Marines have seized Iranian ship and says it tried to evade blockade

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them,” he wrote.

Trump said that the ship’s crew “refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.”

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Holly Bancroft20 April 2026 01:00

WATCH: U.S. military releases video of naval ship firing on Iranian cargo ship

U.S. Central Command released a video of a U.S. Navy ship firing on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. U.S. Marines boarded and seized the ship on Sunday.

Graig Graziosi20 April 2026 00:47

Is he or isn’t he? Trump officials flip-flop on whether Vance is leading Iran talks - or staying home

The Independent’s John Bowden writes:

Top administration officials, including President Donald Trump himself, appeared unclear as to whether Vice President JD Vance would lead peace talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan this week, less than 24 hours before the U.S. negotiating team are supposedly due in Islamabad.

Vance’s participation in the upcoming talks has been in question for days after the last round, helmed by the vice president, failed to reach an agreement to end the war. Tuesday is the two-week deadline for the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

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Graig Graziosi20 April 2026 00:30

In full: US seizes Iranian cargo ship as Tehran rejects peace talks

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US military had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade, while Iran said it would not participate in a second round of peace talks despite Mr Trump's threat of renewed airstrikes.

The developments indicated that peace may not come soon to the region, ⁠and a weeks-long blockade of marine traffic that has driven global oil prices higher likewise might remain in place.

The United States has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war began almost two months ago handled roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

Mr Trump said on Sunday that the US military took control of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that had tried to get past the blockade. "We have full custody of their ship, and are seeing what's on board!" he wrote on ⁠social media, adding that US forces blew a hole in the vessel's engine room.

Iran's official IRNA ​state ⁠news agency, meanwhile, reported that Tehran had rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade and Washington's shifting positions and "excessive demands."

Mr Trump had earlier warned Iran that the United States would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if Tehran rejects his terms, continuing a pattern of such threats throughout the war.

Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 23:43

UAE begins talks with US over financial backstop - reports

The UAE has begun talks with the US about obtaining a financial backstop in case the Iran war plunges the state into a deeper crisis, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

The Emiratis reportedly said that they had so far avoided the worst economic effects from the war but might still need a financial lifeline.

A swap line would see the UAE central bank given easy access to dollars to support its currency or shore up its foreign reserves, the newspaper reported.

If the UAE runs short of dollars, it could be forced to use Chinese yuan or other currencies for oil sales, US officials were told.

Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 23:25

Iran's military command says ship targeted by US was heading from China to Iran

Iran’s joint military command has condemned the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship as “armed robbery”.

In comments reported by news agency Reuters, Iran’s top joint military command said they would retaliate against the seizure by US marines. They said Iranian forces also attacked some US military ships with drones, and said that the cargo ship was heading from China to Iran.

Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 23:02

Trump believed coming across as ‘unstable’ in controversial posts could ‘bring the Iranians to the table,’ report says

President Trump reportedly adopted a strategy of intentionally acting unstable and insulting towards Iran, in the hopes that it would push the US adversary to negotiate an end to the war, writes Josh Marcus.

The unorthodox tactics were reportedly behind a string of controversial posts the president made this month about the vital Strait of Hormuz, administration officials told The Wall Street Journal.

In one post, on April 5, the president ordered Iran to “open the F***in’ Strait, you crazy b*******, or you’ll be living in Hell,” and ended the post with “Praise be to Allah.”

In another message, this one on April 7, the president threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran agreed to open the strait.

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Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 22:45

UK justice secretary calls Trump's insults towards Keir Starmer 'small and petty'

UK Justice secretary David Lammy has said that the US president’s insults towards Sir Keir Starmer are “small and petty” and designed to put pressure on the prime minister to change his stance on Iran.

Mr Lammy, who is also deputy prime minister, said that the US’s actions had “made things worse, not better” in the world.

Speaking to The Guardian about the impact of the war on Iran, Mr Lammy said: “The quicker it ends, the better for everybody”.

He added: “Donald Trump has tried to put pressure on the prime minister to change his position on Iran, and he isn’t going to. This is not our war, and we’re not going to get engaged”.

Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 22:13

Seizure of Iranian-flagged ship comes amid US naval crackdown

The seizure of an Iranian-flagged ship by US marines comes after US military pledged to expand its naval crackdown beyond the Middle East.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has decided to put pressure on Tehran by broadening its campaign against Iranian-linked ships.

The US will seek to take control of Iran-linked vessels around the world, including those carrying Iranian oil and those carrying arms that could support the regime, the paper reported.

Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 22:06

Bill drawn up to manage the Strait of Hormuz - reports

A draft bill has been drawn up by the Iranian parliament’s construction committee to manage the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state-linked media.

Fars News Agency reported on Sunday that the bill would ban Israeli-linked ships, restrict states Iran deemed hostile, and impose transit fees.

Mohammad Rezaei-Kouchi, head of the Iranian parliament’s construction committee, reportedly told state TV that “hostile countries that have caused damage” to Iran will not be permitted passage until they compensate the country.

He added that states using the waterway would have to pay fees in Iranian rials, with 30 per cent of the revenue allocated to the armed forces.

Holly Bancroft19 April 2026 21:40