US Navy Responds as Iran Intercepts Cargo Ship

Iran is rattling sabres in the Strait of Hormuz today: Iranian warships have boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship—after firing warning shots, reports Reuters—and ordered it to "divert further into Iranian waters," adds CNN, quoting a US official. The M/V Maersk Tigris was reportedly on a recognized maritime route when the Iranians approached, and the shipmaster "initially declined" the order; the warning shots proved persuasive and the Tigris issued a distress call. The USS Farragut is responding along with aircraft, reports CNN; the closest American warship was 60 miles away. There are no American citizens aboard the Tigris. (More Iran stories.)