Iran Urges UN to Order US Release of Seized Iranian Cargo Ship TOUSKA

Gate News message, April 22 — The U.S. military fired on the Iranian cargo ship TOUSKA on April 19 as it sailed toward Iran's Abadan port, disabling its propulsion system. U.S. Central Command subsequently landed Marines on the vessel and took control of it.

On April 21, Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council's rotating president, urging the United Nations to order the immediate and unconditional release of the TOUSKA and its crew, ship crew family members, and all other affected individuals. Iravani characterized the U.S. action as "piracy" and accused America of "continuously violating international law, harming Iranian interests, including deliberate attacks on Iranian merchant vessels."

Iran called on the international community to pay "urgent attention" to the incident. The Iranian government made the statement public on April 22.