Western Naval Forces Warn Ships Sailing In Hormuz Strait Against Nearing Iranian Waters

A US-led naval coalition in the Gulf has warned vessels in the region to keep away from Iranian waters to prevent seizures, the U.S. Navy said.

The warning reflects that tensions are high around and in the Strait of Hormuz, wherein Iran reportedly seized tankers in late April and also early in May, while Tehran and Washington finalized a deal to free five of the U.S. citizens who were detained in Iran and the U.S. permits $6 billion in Iran’s funds held in South Korea to be unfrozen.

The International Maritime Security Construct is informing regional mariners of important precautions to lower the risks of seizure based on ongoing regional tensions that are sought to be de-escalated, explained Commander Timothy Hawkins, the spokesman for Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet, on Saturday.

The vessels are further advised to sail as far away from the territorial waters of Iran as possible.

About a fifth of the world’s crude oil and oil products sail via the Strait of Hormuz, a significant choke point between Oman and Iran at the mouth of the Gulf.

The agreement to release U.S. citizens from Iran’s prison and permit them to return to the U.S. would help remove an irritant between Tehran and Washington, which remain at odds on problems from Iran’s nuclear program to Tehran’s support for the regional Shi’ite militias.

The U.S. would release Iranians from U.S. prisons as part of the entire deal, Iran’s mission to the U.N. has declared.

References: Economic Times, Reuters, iranintl

Western Naval Forces Warn Ships Sailing In Hormuz Strait Against Nearing Iranian Waters appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News