U.S. Navy seizes ship

The U.S. Navy seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Tehran vowed retaliation. (apnews.com) U.S. officials identified the vessel as the MV Touska and said the guided‑missile destroyer USS Spruance fired on its engine room before U.S. Marines boarded and took custody. (cnbc.com) U.S. Central Command released video showing the interception and said the Spruance issued repeated warnings over about six hours before disabling the ship’s propulsion. (news.usni.org) Markets reacted immediately: the pan‑European STOXX 600 slid about 1.1% to roughly 619.67 points as investors feared the fragile U.S.–Iran ceasefire might collapse. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Energy and shipping indicators also moved — oil and European gas prices jumped and shipping through the Strait remained heavily disrupted after the weekend’s incidents. (bloomberg.com; aljazeera.com) The timing matters: diplomats had been racing to hold further talks before a ceasefire window expires on Tuesday, and Reuters reported Tehran said it would not attend a planned second round. (usnews.com) Tehran’s joint military command called the boarding “an act of piracy” and vowed retaliation, while Washington said the action enforced a naval blockade intended to prevent shipments to Iranian ports. (abcnews.com) U.S. officials noted this was the first non‑military Iranian vessel publicly reported hit and seized since the blockade began last week, marking an escalation from earlier naval skirmishes. (axios.com) “Iran will consider this piracy,” state media quoted Iranian officials saying, underscoring Tehran’s public warning as diplomats and markets watch for any immediate retaliatory moves. (aljazeera.com)