Video shows San Diego warship firing on Iranian cargo ship

The San Diego-based guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance fired upon and disabled an Iranian cargo ship Sunday after the vessel attempted to evade the United States-imposed blockade, the Pentagon said.

A video released by the Department of Defense shows the destroyer warning the Iranian crew to vacate their ship's engine room before firing on it.

In the video, three shots from the ship's 5-inch MK 45 gun can be heard.

National

Peace talks are in doubt as the U.S. seizes an Iranian ship

NPR Staff

Marines from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded and seized the ship, a second video released by the Pentagon shows.

"Conventional naval warfare is not something that we've done in a long time," Brad Martin, who retired from the Navy after 30 years as a surface warfare officerand now works as a senior researcher at the RAND Corporation, told KPBS in an interview. "It's not common."

It's rare for Navy warships to fire on other vessels in hostile actions, he said.

The Spruance is one of more than a dozen U.S. Navy warships in the Middle East enforcing President Donald Trump's blockade of Iran's sea ports.

Other San Diego warships involved in the effort include the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney.

National

What's it like to negotiate with Iran? We asked people who have done it

Scott Neuman

Iran called the act one of "maritime piracy," its state media reported.

The action further strained peace efforts between the U.S. and Iran, which are currently under a ceasefire agreement. It also threatened to derail the next round of peace talks set to start Tuesday between the two countries in Pakistan.