Iran

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

Stars and Stripes • April 19, 2026

Two ships approach each other.

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.

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