Overview
- U.S. Central Command said Marines took custody of the Iranian‑flagged M/V Touska, which the Navy disabled on Sunday after hours of warnings under a blockade that the U.S. says the sanctioned ship tried to breach.
- Iran’s top military command called the operation armed maritime piracy and vowed a swift response, while Iranian state outlets claimed drone attacks on U.S. warships that independent outlets have not confirmed.
- Oil prices jumped about 7% to 8% in early Asian trading as traders weighed higher risk in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries a large share of the world’s oil and gas shipments.
- Tehran said it will skip the next round of talks in Islamabad unless Washington lifts the naval blockade, casting doubt on diplomacy as a short truce nears its stated end date.
- The Touska seizure marks a move beyond earlier diversions of roughly two dozen ships and raises the chance of retaliatory steps that could slow energy flows and push up fuel costs for households and businesses.