00:00The message from Washington
00:28lands like a storm siren over the Gulf.
00:31American-flagged ships are being told to steer clear of Iranian waters
00:36and ignore any boarding commands from Tehran's forces.
00:40The warning reflects a fear inside the White House
00:43that Iran may try to seize a U.S. vessel as leverage in the escalating standoff.
00:49The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow artery carrying a fifth of the world's oil,
00:54suddenly feels like a front line.
00:57Every radar blip, every radio call now carries the risk of a spark that could ignite a regional war.
01:04That danger came into focus this week when the U.S. flagged tanker, Stenna Imperative,
01:10was shadowed by three pairs of Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats while passing north of Oman.
01:16Armed crews attempted to hail the ship over VHF radio, demanding it stop.
01:22The captain kept his course, refusing the order as a U.S. warship moved in to escort the tanker to safety.
01:29British maritime monitors confirmed the tense encounter,
01:33and the U.K. maritime trade operations launched an investigation.
01:37Iranian media later claimed the vessel had strayed into their waters without permits,
01:42insisting it left without any special security event, a version Washington openly doubts.
01:49Behind the incident lies a broader game of brinksmanship.
01:53Senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guards warned only days ago that they could shut the Strait of Hormuz entirely if the United States launches strikes.
02:03Tehran sees the waterway as its ultimate pressure card. The world sees it as an economic lifeline.
02:10Tensions have soared since President Donald Trump declared Iran's supreme leader should be very worried,
02:17and signaled he is ready to use force if nuclear talks fail.
02:21His envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln after talks with Iran,
02:28a symbolic reminder that diplomacy is unfolding under the shadow of American firepower.
02:34That firepower is now gathering across the region.
02:38The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Group, backed by guided missile destroyers loaded with tomahawks, patrols the North Arabian Sea.
02:45Dozens of U.S. aircraft, from fighters to surveillance drones and refueling planes,
02:51have surged into bases like Al-Udid in Qatar.
02:54Defense officials say the deployments create the architecture for strikes,
02:59though no final order has been given.
03:01Protest messages from Trump to the Iranian people, satellite images of new squadrons,
03:07and the latest naval confrontation all point in one direction.
03:11The countdown may already be running.
03:14The question echoing from Washington to Tehran is stark.
03:18Is this deterrence, or the final approach to war?
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