CENTCOM releases video of Iranian ship seizure

[0:01] A fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran is being threatened by developments in the Strait of Hormuz. [0:09] The United States Navy has seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Tuska, heading towards Bandar Abbas. [0:16] President Donald Trump says the vessel was trying to breach a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. [0:22] In the past hour, U.S. Central Command has released this video showing the interception. [0:27] Motor vessel, Tuska. Motor vessel, Tuska. Vacate your engine room. Vacate your engine room. We're prepared to subject you to disabling fire. [0:59] Iran has vowed to retaliate against what it calls a maritime armed robbery and has accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire. [1:12] The Iranian military says after the attack, U.S. military ships were targeted with drones. [1:16] Now, that attack of the Iranian-flagged vessel came just hours after President Trump confirmed a U.S. delegation will travel to Pakistan's capital for possible talks. [1:27] He's once again threatened to destroy Iran's energy infrastructure and bridges if a deal isn't reached. [1:33] But an Iranian source has told Al Jazeera that Tehran will not be taking part in the talks because Iran believes it's being deceived by the U.S. [1:41] and that the two countries are actually on the verge of another escalation. [1:46] For its part, Pakistan, which has served as the main mediator, is preparing for the talks. [1:51] Prime Minister Shabar Sharif assured his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pajakshian, that Islamabad remains committed to trying to broker peace. [2:00] Let's go to Al Jazeera's Roslyn Jordan in Washington, D.C. [2:03] These latest developments quite concerning. [2:05] The first time we've heard of the U.S. Navy, Ros, taking custody of an Iranian ship during this blockade. [2:11] What more are we hearing first from CENTCOM? [2:15] Well, what CENTCOM is saying now in a statement to the media and to the public writ large [2:21] is that since this blockade started in the past week on the orders of the U.S. [2:26] President Donald Trump, that it has been able to turn back some 25 vessels. [2:32] This incident, which happened on Sunday in the Gulf of Oman, is the first time that the U.S. military has actually used force [2:41] in order to prevent a vessel, an Iranian vessel, from violating the U.S. blockade. [2:47] Now, it is worth pointing out that earlier on Sunday afternoon here in the United States, [2:53] Donald Trump on his personal social media platform announced that the USS Spruance, [2:59] which is a guided missile destroyer, had intervened with the sailing of the vessel, the Tuska, [3:08] which is owned by the Iranian government, and thus was already a sanctioned vessel [3:13] and was subject to being intercepted by the U.S. military anyway under U.S. practice. [3:22] The president and then CENTCOM confirmed that the Tuska would not stop its transit toward Bandar Abbas, [3:32] one of the Iranian ports, and that after six hours of trying to verbally stop it from [3:39] transiting the Gulf of Oman, that is when the video that we all just saw, [3:44] the U.S. Spruance crew giving a verbal warning that it was going to basically disable the engine room [3:53] and basically stop the Tuska in its tracks. [3:57] And then after that verbal warning, then several shots were fired [4:01] from a particular gun on board the Spruance, disabling the Tuska, [4:06] at which point members of the Marine Corps boarded the vessel [4:10] and apparently have taken control of the vessel. [4:14] The Iranians, for their part, are denying that this has happened, [4:18] that the U.S. Navy and the Marines were repelled, [4:22] and that the Iranians maintain control of the Tuska. [4:26] Whichever is the case, this is the first such military intervention during this blockade. [4:33] This does put into jeopardy, perhaps, the U.S.'s efforts to have a second round of negotiations [4:39] with Iranian officials in Islamabad starting late on Monday night. [4:45] Right. [4:45] And President Trump has said that a U.S. delegation was on its way to Islamabad. [4:49] Do we know more about that? [4:50] Who is sending and what details they have on what they're planning in Islamabad? [4:56] Well, we don't know specifically what the U.S. delegation is taking to Islamabad [5:01] to try to convince Iran that there is a way to end this war, which is in its eighth week. [5:08] But we do know that the U.S. Vice President, J.D. Vance, is leading this delegation, [5:13] along with the Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff and the President's son-in-law [5:17] and unofficial government employee, Jared Kushner. [5:21] Now, again, what they're going to take to the Iranians [5:24] to possibly persuade the Iranians to cut a deal in order to end the war, [5:29] that's really up in the air, especially now that there has been this active military intervention [5:35] of an Iranian flagged vessel on the high seas. [5:39] We don't know whether or not the Iranians are going to make good on their threat [5:43] to not show up in Islamabad. [5:45] They had been saying before this incident was reported [5:48] that they weren't going to show up because the U.S. blockade was still in effect [5:53] and that the Iranians felt that there was nothing to discuss [5:56] as long as the U.S. was trying to block all traffic in and out of Iranian ports. [6:01] Whether this intervention now makes a difference, we'll have to see. [6:06] It's going to be a very long 24 hours before we actually see what happens. [6:10] Indeed. Rosalind, thank you very much for that. [6:12] That's Rosalind Jordan, a right live for us there in Washington, D.C.