Iranian ship seized by US Marines has China links
by Brendan Cole

The Iranian ship that President Donald Trump said has been captured by U.S. Marines has made many visits to Chinese ports, according to analysis of shipping data by Newsweek.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Monday to the seizure of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship the Touska.

“We hope all relevant parties will adopt a responsible attitude, abide by the ceasefire agreement, avoid escalating tensions or intensifying contradictions,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

The action comes days after Trump announced a naval blockade of Iranian ports, which he said would stay in place until there was a deal between the U.S. and Iran over unblocking the Strait of Hormuz.

“Our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room,” Trump said of the capture of the Touska on Truth Social, adding that U.S. Marines had custody of the vessel, which was under U.S. Treasury sanctions.

The Touska most recently departed Iranian waters on February 22 via the port of Shahid Rajaee and transited the Strait of Malacca in early March before calling at Zhuhai port in southern China on March 9.