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Iran live updates: Trump says US Navy attacked and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship

PHOTO: The sun rises behind tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026.
2:36
Asghar Besharati/AP
Negotiators head to Pakistan for Iran ceasefire talks
By David Brennan, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: April 19, 2026, 9:53 PM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.

After initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal, Trump announced Sunday, April 19, that U.S. negotiators would head back to Islamabad Monday for a new round.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance would accompany special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, to Islamabad for the talks.

Iran's continuing blockage of the Strait of Homuz and their alleged refusal to abandon their nuclear program remain key sticking points in negotiations, according to Trump.

Key Headlines

  • Trump says US Navy attacked and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship
  • Trump says 'the concept of' a peace deal with Iran is done
  • Trump again threatens to strike Iranian infrastructure; announces new round of talks in Islamabad
  • US-Iran talks have made progress, but 'gaps' remain, Tehran's chief negotiator says
  • Iranian navy to bring 'new defeats' for US and Israel, supreme leader says
Here's how the news is developing.

Apr 19, 2026 9:53 PM

Trump says US Navy attacked and seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship

President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media platform Sunday afternoon that the U.S. Navy had attacked an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman and that U.S. Marines have taken custody of the vessel.

“Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them,” Trump said in the post.

U.S. Central Command confirmed that the destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska as it transited the North Arabian Sea towards the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. 

After repeated warnings over a six-hour timespan, the destroyer warned the Touska’s crew to vacate the engine room and fired several rounds at that location from its five-inch gun, according to CENTCOM.

Marines later boarded the ship, and it remains in U.S. custody, CENTCOM said.

PHOTO: U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and sailors assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans support blockade operations against Iran, April 16, 2026.
U.S. Central Command
U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and sailors assigned to amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans support blockade operations against Iran, April 16, 2026.
U.S. Central Command

It appears to be the first instance of the U.S. attacking and seizing a merchant vessel since it instituted the blockade of Iranian ports.

The president further wrote that "U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel," which he said is "under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board!"

The move comes after Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine warned that the U.S. would actively enforce the blockade on Iranian-flagged vessels around the globe.

"In addition to this blockade, the joint force, through operations and activities in other areas of responsibility, like the Pacific area of responsibility under the command of Admiral Paparo, will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran. This includes Dark Fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil," Caine said in a Pentagon press conference Thursday.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr


Apr 19, 2026 7:55 PM

Trump says 'the concept of' a peace deal with Iran is done

As Tehran asserts that it will not participate in a second round of in-person talks with U.S. negotiators in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday unless the naval blockade on Iranian ports is lifted, President Donald Trump is claiming that a peace deal is almost complete.

"I feel fine about it. The concept of the deal is done. I think we have a very good chance to get it completed," Trump told Axios in an interview on Sunday.

The president offered no details regarding what was in the deal.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump steps off of Air Force One upon arrival at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 17, 2026.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump steps off of Air Force One upon arrival at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 17, 2026.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Trump's comments to Axios were published just hours after he threatened to bomb all of Iran's power plants and bridges if the Iranians don't sign the deal.

“If the deal isn’t done, the deal that we made, then I’m going to take out their bridges and their power plants," Trump told Fox News in a separate interview. “If they don’t sign this thing, the whole country is going to get blown up.”

The president told ABC News' Jonathan Karl something similar Sunday.

"It’s going to be very good," Trump said. "They are either going to do it or they are going to have problems. We’ll see what happens."

The present ceasefire agreement is set to expire on Wednesday.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr


Apr 19, 2026 2:54 PM

Trump says Iran 'is going to get blown up' if they don't sign peace deal

President Donald Trump said Sunday morning that the entire country of Iran would get “blown up” if leaders there don’t sign a deal with the U.S.

"If they don't sign this deal, the whole country is going to get blown up," Trump told Fox News, shortly after he wrote on his social media platform that talks would resume in Islamabad on Monday.

The president later told The New York Post that his advisers, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would be heading to Islamabad on his behalf.

The president did leave open the possibility that he could travel to Islamabad at some point, but gave no indication when.

“I would say maybe at a little bit later date. We have to see how it works out tomorrow,” he said.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr



Apr 19, 2026 1:27 PM

Trump again threatens to strike Iranian infrastructure; announces new round of talks in Islamabad

President Donald Trump said in a Sunday post on his social media platform that he was dispatching his representatives to Islamabad, Pakistan, for another round of peace talks with Iran on Monday night.

"My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan – They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations," the president wrote.

He also blasted Iran for allegedly firing on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz Saturday, which he called a “total violation” of the ceasefire, and urged Iran to make a deal with the U.S. or face strikes on power plants and bridges inside the country.

“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!" Trump wrote. "They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!"

Trump made a similar threat against Iran on Easter weekend, posting on his social media platform that he would bomb Iran's power plants and bridges and send the country "back to the Stone Ages, where they belong" if they didn't then open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.

The current ceasefire agreement is set to expire on Wednesday.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr


Apr 17, 2026 11:47 PM

Iranian negotiator: Trump's claims are 'false'

The current Iranian negotiations leader, Mohammed Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, posted a statement to social media Friday evening stating President Donald Trump "made seven claims in one hour, all seven of which are false."

Ghalibaf's statement also echoes what Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei said earlier -- that Iran would not allow navigation in the Strait of Hormuz if the American blockade continued, and that navigation will be carried out based on a "designated route" and with "Iranian permission."

He added that the "open or closed status of the Strait and the regulations governing it will be determined by the field, not social media."

The statement went on to say: "Media warfare and public opinion engineering are an important part of the war, and the Iranian nation will not be affected by these tricks."

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule


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