Reuters: Seized Iranian ship likely carried dual-use items

Items with potential dual-use applications are likely to have been on board the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was stopped and detained by US forces on April 19.

The small container vessel, owned by the sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), was detained off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman, Reuters reports, citing sources familiar with maritime security.

The US Central Command said the Touska crew ignored repeated warnings over six hours and that the ship had violated a US-declared blockade.

Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments suggest the vessel, which had arrived from Asia, was likely carrying dual-use goods.

In late 2019, Washington imposed sanctions on IRISL, calling it “the preferred shipping line for Iranian proliferators and procurement agents” transporting goods intended for Iran’s ballistic missile program.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov