Materials found by Americans on Iranian ship stopped with “a hole in the engine room” and captured, declared “top secret”

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he could not disclose details of the materials found on the Iranian-flagged cargo ship captured by the US Navy, which US forces opened fire on, describing them as “top secret”, reports CNN.

“Yes, there was stuff there, but it's top secret,” Trump said in the Oval Office during a press conference, adding, “We have a lot of stuff that we took.”

When asked if he was angry with China for trying to break the US blockade on Iranian ports, Trump said “no”, saying the US was doing “the same thing with other countries”. He then said that what was found was not “earth-shattering”.

Trump went on to warn Iran not to mine the Strait of Hormuz, calling it “a very reckless action.”

The White House leader had announced on April 19 that US forces had opened fire and captured an Iranian-flagged cargo ship after it tried to bypass the US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.

Later, on April 20, the Iranian military command “Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya” confirmed the “attack” claimed by the US military on this cargo ship, identified as M/V Touska.

“Aggressive America, violating the truce and committing acts of maritime piracy, attacked one of Iran's commercial ships in the waters of the Sea of ​​Oman, firing on it and disabling its navigation system by sending several marine terrorists to the deck of the said ship,” the Iranian command said in a statement published by the Tasnim news agency.

“We warn that the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and avenge this act of armed piracy committed by the US military,” the Iranian command added.

The cargo ship Touska, which was stopped on April 19 in a spectacular operation by US marines, may have had dual-use items on board that can be used for military purposes, maritime security sources told Reuters on Monday.

The small container ship, which was part of the US-sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group, was boarded off Iran's Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the crew of the Touska had disobeyed repeated warnings over a six-hour period and that the ship had violated the US-imposed blockade. The ship was grounded with “a hole in the engine room,” then boarded by Marines who rappelled down from helicopters launched from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli.

The security sources, who declined to be identified, said their initial assessment was that the ship was likely carrying dual-use items brought from Asia.

The ship has loaded items considered to have dual use in the past, one of the sources said.

The sources did not provide details on the cargo. US Central Command listed metals, pipes and electronic components among other goods that could have both military and industrial uses.

Iran demanded the immediate release of the ship, its sailors and their families, adding that the incident violated a ceasefire agreed this month and warning that Washington would be responsible for any further escalation.

The Iranian military said the ship came from China.

The Iranians claimed they were prepared to fight US forces over “flagrant aggression” but were constrained by the presence of the crew members' families on board.

Washington imposed sanctions on IRISL in late 2019, describing it as the “preferred shipping company of Iranian procurement agents,” including for transporting items destined for Iran's ballistic missile program.

The crew of the Touska consisted mainly of an Iranian captain and Iranian sailors, but there could be others, one of the sources quoted by Reuters said.