{"id":61046,"date":"2026-04-18T11:38:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/hormuz-crisis-escalates-us-prepares-to-board-ships-as-iran-fires-on-indian-tankers-oil-surges-3-6\/61046\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T11:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:38:37","slug":"hormuz-crisis-escalates-us-prepares-to-board-ships-as-iran-fires-on-indian-tankers-oil-surges-3-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/hormuz-crisis-escalates-us-prepares-to-board-ships-as-iran-fires-on-indian-tankers-oil-surges-3-6\/61046\/","title":{"rendered":"Hormuz Crisis Escalates: US Prepares to Board Ships as Iran Fires on Indian Tankers; Oil Surges 3.6%"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Iran has declared &quot;strict control&quot; over the Strait of Hormuz, firing on two Indian-flagged vessels and forcing them to retreat.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The US military is mobilizing to board Iran-linked ships in international waters within days, according to a <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> report.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Crude oil prices (USOIL) surged 3.6% to $86.45 as the threat of a total blockade looms over the world&#39;s most critical energy chokepoint.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Global markets and cryptocurrencies are in retreat, with Bitcoin (<a href=\"\/stock\/BTC\">BTC<\/a>) falling 1.44% to $76,255 and Ethereum (<a href=\"\/stock\/ETH\">ETH<\/a>) dropping 2.74%.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Hezbollah has officially denied involvement in a recent incident with UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon, urging caution pending a Lebanese Army investigation.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Iranian military has significantly tightened its grip on the <strong>Strait of Hormuz<\/strong>, declaring on Saturday that the waterway is now being <strong>\u201cstrictly controlled\u201d<\/strong> by Tehran. This declaration follows reports that the Iranian Navy opened fire on two Indian-flagged merchant vessels, including a supertanker carrying <strong>2 million barrels of Iraqi oil<\/strong>, forcing them to reverse course. <em>The move marks a sharp escalation in regional tensions and a direct challenge to the freedom of navigation in a corridor that carries 20% of the world&#39;s crude oil.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Shipping Corporation of India (<a href=\"\/stock\/SCI\">SCI<\/a>) confirmed that while one of its vessels, the <em>Desh Garima<\/em>, successfully crossed the strait earlier in the day, others including the <em>Desh Vaibhav<\/em> and <em>Desh Vibhor<\/em> were forced to abort their transit. <strong>New Delhi has reportedly summoned the Iranian envoy<\/strong> to lodge a formal protest over the gunfire incident. <em>Maritime tracking data shows several other commercial ships are currently hugging the Omani coast or turning back to avoid confrontation.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In response to the blockade, the US military is preparing to <strong>board and seize Iran-linked vessels<\/strong> in international waters in the coming days, according to a report from the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>. President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/thestockmarketwatch.com\/live\/trump-stock-market\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Trump\">Trump<\/a> warned on Saturday that Tehran would not be allowed to <strong>\u201cblackmail\u201d<\/strong> the United States by shutting down the world\u2019s most vital energy chokepoint. <em>US officials indicate that more than 15 warships are currently positioned in the region to enforce a &quot;reverse blockade&quot; on Iranian ports.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Energy markets reacted immediately to the instability, with <strong>Crude Oil (USOIL)<\/strong> jumping <strong>+3.6%<\/strong> to reach <strong>$86.45<\/strong>. <em>Analysts are warning of a potential &quot;energy shock&quot; if the strait remains closed, as daily crossings have already dropped to a fraction of their pre-war levels.<\/em> Despite the surge in oil, other safe-haven assets saw slight retreats; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold<\/a><\/strong> fell <strong>-0.39%<\/strong> to <strong>$4,811<\/strong>, while <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/silver-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"silver price today\">Silver<\/a><\/strong> dropped <strong>-0.66%<\/strong> to <strong>$8,033<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Broad financial markets are showing signs of a &quot;risk-off&quot; flight, with major indices sliding in weekend trading. The <strong>NASDAQ<\/strong> fell <strong>-0.61%<\/strong> to <strong>26,521<\/strong>, and the <strong>DOW<\/strong> retreated <strong>-0.43%<\/strong> to <strong>49,239<\/strong>. The cryptocurrency sector was hit harder, as <strong>Bitcoin (<a href=\"\/stock\/BTC\">BTC<\/a>)<\/strong> slipped to <strong>$76,255<\/strong> and <strong>Cardano (<a href=\"\/stock\/ADA\">ADA<\/a>)<\/strong> plunged <strong>-3.38%<\/strong> to <strong>$0.2517<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In Lebanon, <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong> issued a series of statements denying any connection to an incident involving <strong>UNIFIL<\/strong> forces in the Al-Ghandouriya area. The group criticized the &quot;indiscriminate hurling of accusations&quot; and called for caution until the <strong>Lebanese Army<\/strong> completes its investigation. <em>The denial comes amid fears that the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon remains extremely fragile as regional proxy tensions mount.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Diplomatic efforts appear to be at a standstill as the <strong>Iranian National Security Council<\/strong> announced it will <strong>not compromise<\/strong> in negotiations with Washington. While Tehran confirmed it is reviewing &quot;new proposals&quot; mediated by the commander of the Pakistani army, officials stated they would defend the interests of the Iranian nation with &quot;all their strength.&quot; <em>The refusal to yield suggests that the maritime standoff in the Persian Gulf may persist, keeping global energy markets on edge.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Iran has declared &quot;strict control&quot; over the Strait of Hormuz, firing on two Indian-flagged vessels and forcing them 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