Overview
- Global stocks fell Thursday as Brent crude climbed back above $100 and investors grew wary of a quick end to the U.S.–Iran crisis.
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz this week, keeping the vital oil route effectively shut under a U.S. naval blockade.
- President Trump said he ordered the Navy to shoot boats that place mines, signaling a harder line as the U.S. asserts control over traffic through the strait.
- Oil’s rebound and stalled talks pulled U.S. indexes off Wednesday’s record highs, with traders weighing strong earnings against the risk of stickier inflation.
- A Pentagon briefing reported by the Washington Post warned mine clearance could take at least six months, a delay that could keep gasoline prices elevated and pressure import‑reliant economies.