Iran Warns Ships Off Hormuz Hours After Two Vessels Catch Fire in Black Sea

Iran's deputy army chief issued a warning to ships attempting crossings through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report from Al Jazeera. The strait is one of the world's busiest routes for oil tanker traffic, and warnings of this kind tend to put shippers and insurers on alert even before any vessel is affected. Separately, two ships caught fire off Romania's Black Sea coast, with seven sailors reported missing. The two incidents are unrelated in location and cause, but together they add to a string of maritime flashpoints that have kept shipping insurers and oil traders watching chokepoints closely this year. What's unresolved is whether the Hormuz warning translates into any actual interference with vessel traffic, and whether the Black Sea fire is confirmed as an accident or something more deliberate.