US marines board Iranian-flagged vessel after Omani Gulf interception VIDEO

Night-time footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) shows American Marines from the USS Tripoli approaching the vessel Touska, sailing under an Iranian flag, which was seized in the Gulf of Oman on April 19.

The video captures helicopters flying over the cargo ship, while a bird’s-eye view captures metal containers on deck. One individual is seen descending onto the vessel via a rope.

U.S. Marines depart amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) by helicopter and transit over the Arabian Sea to board and seize M/V Touska. The Marines rappelled onto the Iranian-flagged vessel, April 19, after guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska’s… pic.twitter.com/mFxI5RzYCS

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 20, 2026

According to CENTCOM, Marines boarded the Touska after the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance disabled the ship’s propulsion system when it “failed to comply with repeated warnings from U.S. forces over a six-hour period.”

Last month, the USS Tripoli deployed the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) from Okinawa to the Middle East — a rapid-response force of 2,200 personnel that has since joined operations in the region.

By Jeyhun Aghazada