Hormuz tanker war spirals
US forces attacked five Iran-linked tankers, including the aframax Riesco which sank, after Iranian attempts to hit a US warship. Iran's IRGC claimed it then targeted two US vessels, eight oil tankers and ten other ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The claims are unverified, and Iran warned crews in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports to abandon their vessels.
Why it matters: Shipping has become a deliberate instrument of geopolitical leverage, and the erosion of international rules threatens to fragment global trade.