US navy seizes Iranian ship after it breaches blockade

{"text":[[{"start":11.75,"text":"Donald Trump said that a US naval destroyer seized an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman, as Washington and Tehran gave conflicting accounts of whether new peace talks were set to begin in Pakistan."}],[{"start":23.85,"text":"In a Truth Social post, the US president said the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska “tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them”."}],[{"start":33.25,"text":"He said the guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the ship by “blowing a hole” in its engine room after the vessel ignored warnings to stop. The US now had custody of the ship, he added, which was under Treasury department sanctions because of a “history of illegal activity”."}],[{"start":50.55,"text":"Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters vowed retaliation for the attack. “The US, the aggressor, violated the ceasefire and engaged in maritime piracy,” the military body said. “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to this act of armed maritime piracy and retaliate soon.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":70.4,"text":"Prices for Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, climbed as much as 7.9 per cent to $97.50 a barrel in Asia. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, gained 6.1 per cent to $88.99 a barrel. The rise in oil prices put pressure on US and European stocks. Futures for the S&P 500 and Stoxx Europe 600 declined 0.5 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively. Asian stock markets rose despite the oil price gain. "}],[{"start":105.30000000000001,"text":"The president had earlier threatened to resume the US bombing campaign if Tehran failed to reach a peace deal during what he claimed would be fresh peace talks this week."}],[{"start":114.10000000000001,"text":"Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Trump said the US would send a delegation to Pakistan on Monday which included Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. A White House official said vice-president JD Vance — who led the last round of talks for the US — would also attend, but Trump told ABC that he would not due to security reasons. Vance’s office did not respond to a request for comment."}],[{"start":141.85000000000002,"text":"However, Tasnim News Agency, which is closely linked to Iran’s military and security services, reported that Iran had no intention of sending its negotiators due to the US navy’s continuing blockade of Iranian ports. "}],[{"start":154.90000000000003,"text":"“The Iranian team has made it clear that there will be no talks as long as the maritime blockade remains in place,” Tasnim added."}],[{"start":161.40000000000003,"text":"US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said Touska was intercepted as it headed towards the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas after repeated warnings over six hours in which it violated the US blockade. "}],[{"start":176.90000000000003,"text":"After the US destroyer fired on the Touska, troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which arrived in the Middle East over the past month, boarded the ship. "}],[{"start":186.45000000000005,"text":"In a Truth Social post earlier on Sunday, the US president accused Iran of committing a “serious violation” of the two-week ceasefire between the countries by firing “bullets” at French and British vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway at the centre of the conflict."}],[{"start":203.55000000000004,"text":"Trump renewed his warning that American forces would target civilian infrastructure in Iran, including power plants and bridges, raising fresh concerns of potential war crimes by the US military. "}],[{"start":215.50000000000003,"text":"“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. "}],[{"start":230.60000000000002,"text":"The US president’s tone has shifted after sounding upbeat last week about the prospects for a peace deal."}],[{"start":236.45000000000002,"text":"That optimism — which had buoyed equity markets and lowered oil prices — was dashed by Iranian officials, who said they were imposing “strict controls” over passage through the Strait of Hormuz. "}],[{"start":248.10000000000002,"text":"There is growing suspicion in Iran that Trump’s proposed talks may be a pretext for a new wave of attacks. Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of parliament who joined the previous negotiating team in Islamabad, said in a post on X that “the enemy seems to be preparing for a new military operation”. He said that the arrival of equipment in the region coupled with the continuing blockade are indications that the negotiations might be “nothing more than a deception”."}],[{"start":275.35,"text":"Trump is under domestic pressure to end the war, which is unpopular with the US public and has caused an economic shock that has raised petrol prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. "}],[{"start":286.25,"text":"An NBC poll released on Sunday showed two-thirds of Americans disapproved of his handling of the war."}],[{"start":293.45,"text":"But the president also faces an Iranian regime that is resisting his demands. Sticking points range from the fate of Tehran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium and its future nuclear programme to governance of the Strait of Hormuz. "}],[{"start":309.09999999999997,"text":"“I think the outcome of these talks will be incredibly consequential. And as the president has stated, he is prepared to escalate, to de-escalate,” Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said on ABC on Sunday. "}],[{"start":321.9,"text":"Waltz added that Trump was ready to take the naval blockade to a new level, with US forces instructed to “board and turn around Iranian ships even as far east as the Pacific Ocean”."}],[{"start":332.54999999999995,"text":"Trump convened top cabinet members and senior national security officials at the White House on Saturday to discuss the conflict. He insisted that talks with Iran were going well, but also warned Tehran not to “blackmail” America by seeking to control the Strait of Hormuz."}],[{"start":348.99999999999994,"text":"Iran has said it will not reopen access to the waterway until the US lifts its naval blockade of ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, which took effect last Monday. "}],[{"start":360.84999999999997,"text":"Additional reporting by William Sandlund in Hong Kong"}],[{"start":371.84999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1776661957_6803.mp3"}