Shipowners warned against avoiding Iranian waters because of the threat of confiscation as tensions between the US and Iran are high
Western-backed naval forces in the Middle East on Saturday warned shipowners voyaging through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid seizure – strong advice amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States USA
A similar warning was sent to shippers earlier this year, before Iran seized two tankers sailing near the Straits, the narrow estuary of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil flows.
As Iran and the US now appear to be moving towards an agreement that would see the release of billions of Iranian assets in South Korea in exchange for the release of five Iranian-American nationals detained in Tehran, the warning shows tensions at sea remain high . The US is already considering plans to deploy armed troops on merchant ships in the straits to deter Iran while troops, ships and planes are stationed in the region.
US Navy Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Middle East-based 5th Fleet, confirmed the warning but declined to discuss details.
A US-backed maritime group called the International Maritime Security Construct “is advising regional seafarers on appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of seizure due to the current regional tensions that we are looking to de-escalate,” Hawkins said. “Vessels are advised to move as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible.”
Separately, a European Union-led maritime organization that monitors shipping in the Strait has “warned of the possibility of an attack on an unknown flag merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours,” private intelligence firm Ambrey said .
“Previously, after a similar warning, a merchant ship was seized by Iranian authorities under false pretenses,” the company warned.
The EU-led mission dubbed European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA cited this AP report without citing Iranian officials. The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.
The Strait of Hormuz lies in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. The width of the shipping lane is only 2 miles in either direction.
Anything affecting it will spread to global energy markets and potentially lead to a spike in crude oil prices.
This then trickles down to consumers through the prices they pay for gasoline and other oil products.
Since 2019, there has been a spate of attacks on ships blamed on Iran after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew America from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed crushing sanctions on Tehran.
These attacks resumed in late April when Iran seized a ship carrying oil for Chevron Corp. in May. and seized another tanker named Niovi.
The takeover of the two tankers comes in less than a week, while the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan lies off Houston, likely waiting to offload sanctioned Iranian oil that appears to have been seized by the US
These confiscations led the US military to launch a large-scale deployment to the region, including thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the landing ship USS Carter Hall.
Images released by the Navy on Tuesday showed the Bataan and Carter Halls in the Red Sea.
