Fact check: Viral video does not show US forces seizing Iranian ship amid Strait of Hormuz blockade

Multiple users across social media platforms were sharing a video since April 20, 2026, claiming it shows the American military seizing an Iranian commercial ship amid a US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the footage is from October 2025 and shows a US naval exercise. Tensions have escalated in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route, amid efforts for a second round of talks between the US and Iran. Washington has increased its naval presence and imposed restrictive measures in the strait. Iran, in response, has asserted its influence over the waterway and warned that continued pressure could disrupt international shipping. On April 18, 2026, US forces opened fire on an Iranian-linked vessel in the Strait of Hormuz before seizing it. Washington framed the action as a security measure, while Iranian officials condemned it as a violation of international law and the ceasefire agreement. How it started On April 20, a user, who claims to be a Yemeni activist in his X bio, shared a video, showing soldiers landing on a ship, with the following caption: “Moments of the US Army’s control over the Iranian ship yesterday and the arrest of its crew — there is none more cowardly than the Shia when it comes to direct confrontation.” The post gained 275,000 views. Another user shared the same video with the following caption: “Breaking: Donald Trump says an Iranian cargo ship was struck and boarded. Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named Touska, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, attempted to breach our naval blockade, and it did not go well for them. The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the Touska in the Gulf of Oman and issued a fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to comply, after which our navy ship stopped them in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room.” “US Marines now have control of the vessel. The Touska is under US Treasury sanctions due to its prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship and are inspecting what’s on board,” it added. The post gathered over 129,000 views. Another account that appears to be pro-Indian, based on its bio and past posts, shared the same video with a similar claim. The post gained over 12,000 views. The same video and claim were shared by various other users on multiple social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and X, as can be seen here, here and here; collectively gaining more than 190,000 views. Methodology  A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the US-Iran talks and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. A keyword search conducted to corroborate whether any such video was reported by credible mainstream international, US or Iranian media outlets did not yield any results. A reverse image search yielded an Instagram post wherein the viral clip was shared by a Spanish journalist, Eduardo Menoni, dated October 6 2025, with the following caption: “Breaking News: Navy military exercises today on its 250th anniversary 🇺🇸. Let the Cartel of the Suns of Narcolas Maduro and Diosdado Cabello beware of what awaits them in Venezuela with the Southern Command.” According to the caption, the video shows naval military exercises on the 250th anniversary celebrations of the US.         View this post on Instagram                       Margo Martin, special assistant to the US president and communications adviser, shared the same video in a similar context on X on the same date, captioned: “US Navy Seals”. U.S. NAVY SEALS! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MwwZ9RWdol — Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) October 5, 2025 Moreover, a keyword search conducted yielded a post, shared by the Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), an official US military media organisation owned by the Department of War Information Activity, on its website on the same date. The video was titled: “Titans of the Sea Presidential Review aboard USS George H.W. Bush” and at the 5:41-minute mark, the video features the same visuals that have been shared in the viral clip.   According to DVIDS, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) during the Titans of the Sea Presidential Review. The Titans of the Sea Presidential Review is one of many events that took place throughout the country to showcase maritime capabilities as part of the US Navy’s 250th birthday. The same visual, shared in the same context, was also found on the official Facebook account of USS George H W Bush (CVN 77), where the visual appears at the 50-second mark. Fact-check status: False The claim that a viral video shows American forces seizing an Iranian ship amid the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is false. The original video is from a US naval exercise during its 250th anniversary celebrations in October 2025 and is unrelated to the current conflict. This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.

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