USS Spruance intercepts Iranian ship attempting to breach naval blockade, CENTCOM says

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) approaches fleet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO-187) before a replenishment-at-sea during Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 10, 2026. (U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to pass the naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said Sunday in a statement.

After the Iranian vessel, TOUSKA, failed to comply with repeated U.S. warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance ordered the engine room to be evacuated and then fired several rounds into it, CENTCOM said.

“American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance,” CENTCOM said.

The vessel is now in U.S. custody, and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the vessel to search what is on board. This is the first interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began last week.

The U.S. military has been enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas since last week. The effort consists of more than a dozen warships, over 100 aircraft, and a force of sailors, Marines and airmen numbering over 10,000, according to CENTCOM.

Since the blockade began, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port, CENTCOM said.