News imageWorld Business Report, Tensions in the Gulf as US seizes Iranian ship

World Business Report

Tensions in the Gulf as US seizes Iranian ship

20 April 2026

9 minutes

Available for over a year

Global financial markets have headed south again after tensions between the US and Iran took a turn for the worse over the weekend. American forces attacked and then seized an Iranian cargo ship just east of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has responded by saying it will retaliate.

Plus, the BBC’s Nick Marsh has been looking at a story that’s been quietly building in financial markets. Traders placing big bets just before major announcements by US president Donald Trump, including during the Iran war. BBC analysis suggests it may be happening more often than we thought.