WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it killed six men Sunday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged traffickers.

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Sunday’s attack brought the death toll to at least 157 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels in early September.

As with most of the military’s statements on the more than 40 known strikes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on X that showed a small boat being blown up as it floated on the water.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

In a meeting with Latin American leaders on Saturday, Trump encouraged them to join the U.S. in taking military action against drug-trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he said pose an “unacceptable threat” to the region’s national security.

To that end, Ecuador and the United States conducted military operations this past week against organized crime groups in the South American country.

With Saturday’s gathering, Trump aimed to demonstrate that he remains committed to focusing U.S. foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere, even while waging a war on Iran that has had repercussions across the Middle East.

Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S. over land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

The boat strikes also drew intense criticism following the revelation that the military killed survivors of the very first boat attack with a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said it was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and legal experts said the killings were murder, if not a war crime.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT, AP Business Writers

Wall Street futures followed global markets lower early Monday and oil prices briefly spiked to nearly $120 per barrel as the Iran war intensified, threatening production and shipping in the Middle East.

Futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average all fell more than 1% before the opening bell after retreating more than 2% late Sunday.

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Global markets also took a beating, with Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index plunging more than 5% and markets across Europe losing between 2% and 3%.

Shares of major U.S. airlines continued their descent as spiking fuel prices are projected to eat into their profits. Delta, American and United all fell more than 3% in premarket trading, adding to what was already double-digit losses since the U.S. and Israel launched their attack on Iran more than a week ago.

“The market woke up to the sound every macro trader dreads. The oil alarm bell. And this time it was not a polite chime. It was a fire siren,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

Surging oil and gas prices, if they persist, could ripple across the globe, further complicating matters for countries still adjusting to higher tariffs on exports to the United States under President Donald Trump.

As of 7:45 a.m. EDT, the price for a barrel of Brent crude was $104.94 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude was trading at $103.27. Both were more than 13% above their closing prices Friday.

Senior officials of Southeast Asian countries were meeting this week in Manila, the Philippines, where they were expected to discuss ways to counter the shock from higher energy costs.

“Oil prices will reach a peak at some point –- maybe they already have, maybe there’s more to come -– but they are likely to fluctuate at elevated levels for weeks, perhaps months,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya of Swissquote said in a commentary. “Eventually -– even if the war persists –- energy prices will likely come down. But during this period, high energy prices will revive inflation globally and weigh notably on growth.”

The last time oil rose above $100 a barrel was shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The Iran war, now in its second week, has ensnared countries and places that are critical to the production and movement of oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.

A Chinese special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, called for an end to the attacks and said strikes on non-military targets and civilians should be condemned. Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned against hoarding, panic buying and collusion between refiners and gas stations.

“Please respond proactively to the growing volatility in the financial and foreign exchange markets, which are the lifeblood of our economy,” Lee said. He said the government would cap fuel prices.

Both sides in the war struck new targets over the weekend, including civilian ones. Bahrain accused Iran of hitting one of the desalination plants that are crucial for drinking water in Gulf countries. Its national oil company declared force majeure after the country’s sole oil refinery was attacked. Israel struck oil depots in Tehran, sending up thick smoke and causing environmental alerts.

At midday in Europe, Germany’s DAX dropped 2.6%, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 2.7% and Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 1.9%. The only market to show gains was in oil exporter Norway, where its benchmark edged 0.1% higher.

During Asian trading, Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged more than 7% early in the day but regained some of those losses to close 5.2% lower at 52,728.72. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6% to 5,251.87.

Chinese markets, which tend to be less affected by global trends, saw more moderate losses. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.4% to 25,408.46 and the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.7% to 4,096.60.

Taiwan’s benchmark dived 4.4% and India’s Sensex lost 2.3%. Other regional markets also swooned.

Early Monday, the U.S. dollar, which retains its status as a safe haven for investors bracing against uncertainty, gained against other major currencies. It was trading at 158.45 Japanese yen, up from 158.09 yen late Friday. The euro rose to $1.1563, up from $1.1556.

Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed from Seoul, South Korea.

The mayor of Forest Lake and his brother plan to expand the family’s longtime floral business into a new kind of horticulture: cannabis.

Blake and Kelly Roberts, the third-generation owners of Lakes Floral Gift & Garden, last year received a preliminary state license and city approval to open what is expected to be the city’s first cannabis dispensary and one of the first in Washington County.

The Greenhouse Cannabis Company, the city’s first licensed adult-use recreational cannabis retail store, will be located in the same building as the floral shop at 508 Lake St. S. It is expected to open in mid-April.

The Robertses’ grandfather, Harold Waldo, started selling vegetables commercially in Forest Lake in 1930; he later expanded to cut flowers, Blake Roberts said.

“In many ways, this is a natural extension of our family’s work with plants and horticulture — just in a new and emerging industry,” Blake Roberts said.

Blake Roberts (Courtesy of Roberts)

Roberts, who has been mayor of Forest Lake since January 2025, said he was out of town when the measure came before the Forest Lake City Council last summer; the council voted 4-0 to approve it. Since he and his brother started to think about opening the shop, he has abstained from all votes on anything cannabis-related before the council and removed himself from council chambers during any discussions, he said.

“I understand the perception that someone in my position might get a first shot at a (cannabis) license like that, but that just was not the case,” he said. “I worked with city legal staff to ensure that everything has been done above board, and that city staff were comfortable with me moving forward into this industry, and that I was being fully transparent.”

One of three

In accordance with state law and city ordinance, Forest Lake, population 20,700, is allowed to issue one cannabis business registration per 12,500 residents, as determined by the most recent state demographer’s estimate. The cap on registrations does not apply to a medical cannabis combination business or a lower-potency hemp edible retailer.

The Forest Lake City Council in October increased the cap on the number of cannabis retail locations allowed in the city from two to three, and the city has issued three interim-use permits. The other two locations are Smokey Oaks at 115 Lake St. N., in downtown Forest Lake, and Forest Lake Cannabis at 1467 Lake St. S., across from Forest Lake City Hall.

The Greenhouse Cannabis Company expects to begin cannabis sales in April within an approximately 2,200-square-foot section of the existing retail building.

“Our goal is to create a high-end retail experience that focuses on educating consumers about this now-legal product for both medical and recreational use,” Roberts said. “We want the store to have a boutique feel, similar to the customer service you get in our floral store, where customers feel comfortable asking questions and learning about the products available to them.”

City code allows for retail cannabis operations within the city’s commercial, agricultural, business and mixed-use districts, but an interim-use permit must be obtained for zoning compliance.

The city’s distance requirements, which are identical to the city’s alcohol and tobacco restrictions, state that there must be 500 feet between cannabis businesses, and that cannabis businesses must be at least 500 feet from a school, commercial day care or residential treatment facility. They also must be at least 500 feet from an attraction within a public park that is regularly used by minors, such as a playground, athletic field, athletic court, picnic area or restrooms, pavilion or park building.

Lakeside Memorial Park in downtown Forest Lake is excluded from the distance requirements due to the close proximity of downtown to the park, according to city officials.

Older clientele expected

Greenhouse Cannabis still needs to get the final OK from the state Office of Cannabis Management to open. The store’s final plans of record were submitted last month, and the approval process, which includes a final inspection, could take anywhere from two to four weeks, Roberts said.

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Feedback has been positive, he said, “especially from people in the older generation who are using it to self-medicate for aches and pains and sleeping.”

“They’re really pleased about being able to buy something here in Forest Lake, instead of having to drive someplace else,” he said.

Roberts said he does not plan to use the products the store will sell.

“That’s just not what I do,” he said. “We just saw an opportunity. With these mom-and-pop flower shops and any small business, you’ve got to constantly be reinventing yourself, otherwise you’re just going to fail.”

By SHEIKH SAALIQ

NEW DELHI (AP) — The United States and Iran have offered sharply different accounts of the sinking of an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean last week, with Washington rejecting Tehran’s claim the vessel was unarmed and Iranian officials insisting it was operating in a noncombat role.

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The United States Indo-Pacific Command on Sunday rejected Iran’s claim that the warship IRIS Dena was unarmed when it was sunk in a submarine attack in international waters off Sri Lanka on March 4. In a statement on X, INDOPACOM called Iran’s assertion that the vessel was unarmed “false.”

The response followed strong objections from Tehran, which has repeatedly characterized the warship as defenseless, saying it was returning home after taking part in a naval exercise.

An Indian navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, said the Iranian vessel was not “entirely unarmed” and had taken part in drills alongside other countries’ warships.

Some experts have, however, suggested that visiting ships at such events typically do not carry a full combat load of live munitions unless scheduled for live-fire drills. They say even during the sea phase of exercises, ships generally carry only tightly-controlled ammunition limited to specific drills.

Rahul Bedi, an independent defense analyst based in India, said the vessel may have used some limited non-offensive ammunition during the naval exercises, but protocol requires “the participating platforms to be unarmed.”

“The precondition of participating in such a parade, or such a ceremony, is that it (the vessel) comes unarmed. That is the precondition of the Indian Navy and it’s a precondition of most navies when they hold such similar sort of fleet reviews,” Bedi said.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Friday that the warship, sunk by a U.S. torpedo, had not been carrying weapons and accused Washington of targeting a ceremonial vessel.

“That vessel was by invitation of our Indian friends, attending an international exercise. It was ceremonial. It was unloaded. It was unarmed,” he told reporters in New Delhi.

The IRIS Dena was sunk on March 4 in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka after being struck by a torpedo fired from a U.S. submarine, according to American and Iranian officials. The Sri Lankan navy rescued 32 sailors and recovered 87 bodies.

In this photo released by Sri Lankan President Media Division, Sri Lankan Navy sailors rescue Iranian sailors from IRIS Dena warship after their ship sank outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, near Galle, Sri Lanka, March 4, 2026. (Sri Lankan Presidential Media Division via AP)

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the IRIS Dena as a “prize ship” and said it “died a quiet death.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack as “an atrocity at sea” and stressed that it had been “a guest of India’s Navy.”

Disputes over whether the vessel was armed have intensified tensions over the incident, which occurred as it was returning from multinational naval exercises in India, and raised questions about whether it was operating in a noncombat role when it was attacked.

India’s defense ministry said in a statement after the exercises that “live firings as part of surface gun shoots, as well as anti-air firings, were also undertaken” by participating vessels.

In this photo released by Sri Lankan President Media Division, Sri Lankan Navy sailors take one of the injured Iranian sailors from IRIS Dena warship to the hospital after their ship sank outside Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, in Galle, Sri Lanka, March 4, 2026. (Sri Lankan Presidential Media Division via AP)

The warship’s sinking highlighted how the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is spreading beyond the Middle East.

Two other Iranian vessels — the IRIS Bushehr and IRIS Lavan — are docked in Sri Lanka and India after seeking assistance from the two countries.

Associated Press writer Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, contributed to this report.