florida/tehran, April 21 -- US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released footage documenting a maritime operation where Marines boarded an Iranian-flagged vessel, the Touska, within the Gulf of Oman. The video, shared by CENTCOM on X, captures the tactical sequence as Marines departed the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, via helicopter to intercept the container ship. As the operation progressed, the footage showed personnel fast-roping or rappelling from the aircraft to gain access to the deck of the vessel. This maritime boarding comes amid heightened focus on security and the monitoring of commercial shipping lanes in the region. Iran's Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters has since confirmed the action, describing it as an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Sea of Oman. In a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, Tehran accused the US of "violating the ceasefire and committing maritime piracy" by firing upon the ship and "disabling its navigation system by deploying several of its terrorist marines on the deck", while confirming that the vessel had been seized. Following the seizure, the Iranian military issued a stern warning of a looming retaliation. "We warn that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond to and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military," the statement added, further escalating the friction between the two nations. According to a CENTCOM statement on X, the interception occurred because the vessel was allegedly violating a US naval blockade while attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on April 19. The command noted that the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance tracked the M/V Touska as it transited at 17 knots towards Bandar Abbas. The command asserted that American forces issued multiple warnings, but the ship failed to comply over a six-hour period. Consequently, the Spruance was directed to disable the vessel's propulsion by firing "several rounds from the destroyer's 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska's engine room", after which US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the "non-compliant vessel". While the US command maintained the action was "deliberate, professional, and proportional," US President Donald Trump also took to Truth Social to confirm that American forces had taken "full custody" of the vessel. He noted that the Touska "tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them", adding that officials are now "seeing what's on board!" This maritime confrontation has intensified existing West Asia tensions, particularly as Iran's official IRNA news agency simultaneously rejected reports of planned peace negotiations in Islamabad, dismissing them as a "media game". The incident occurs at a critical juncture, as the two-week ceasefire window between the two sides is scheduled to conclude on April 22. (ANI) The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed that US forces stationed in the Sea of Oman were forced to retreat after firing at an Iranian merchant vessel, according to a report, Press TV reported. Citing Mehr news agency, Press TV reported that the US forces operating in the region targeted an Iranian merchant ship in an attempt to compel it to return to Iranian territorial waters. According to the report, the action came amid wider maritime tensions involving the Strait of Hormuz and the movement of international shipping vessels. It added that the US move was linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the return of Indian and British merchant ships, as well as control measures carried out by the IRGC. However, it emphasised, the Americans were forced to retreat and leave the area following the "timely presence and rapid response" of IRGC naval units in support of the Iranian vessel, as per a report by Press TV. The report further stated that the United States had announced a naval blockade on Iran after failing to achieve its military objectives in what it described as a joint war of aggression with Israel that began in late February. It said the blockade was imposed in response to Iran's restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route that accounts for a significant share of worldwide oil supply. Iran had briefly eased restrictions on non-hostile commercial shipping in the Strait on Friday amid efforts to negotiate a permanent end to the conflict, as reported by Press TV. However, the IRGC Navy said in a statement on Saturday that Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz after the United States allegedly maintained its blockade on Iranian ports in violation of a two-week ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump on April 8....