In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, front, and the landing ship USS Carter Hall, rear transit the Red Sea Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Navy forces backed by the West in the Middle East on Saturday, August 12, 2023, warned shippers crossing the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away as possible from Iranian territorial waters to avoid being seized, a stern warning in a context heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia/US Navy, via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Western-backed maritime forces in the Middle East warned shippers crossing the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Saturday to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid being seized, a stark warning amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.
A similar warning was issued to shippers earlier this year before Iran seized two tankers traveling near the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.
With Iran and the US now close to an apparent deal that would see billions in Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen in return for the release of five Iranian-Americans held in Tehran, the warning shows that tensions remain high at sea. Already, the United States is considering putting armed troops on commercial ships in the strait to deter Iran amid a buildup of troops, ships and planes in the region. .
READ: Key events leading up to the US-Iran confrontation
US Navy Commander. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Middle East-based 5th Fleet, acknowledged the warning was given, but declined to discuss specifics about it.
A U.S.-backed maritime group called International Maritime Security Construct is “advising regional mariners on appropriate precautions to minimize risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to defuse,” Hawkins said. “Vessels are advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible.”
READ: Tensions high after US airstrike kills Iranian general
Separately, a European Union-led maritime organization that monitors shipping in the strait has “warned of the possibility of an attack on a merchant ship of unknown flag in the Strait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours,” private intelligence firm Ambrey said.
“Previously, after a similar warning was issued, a merchant vessel was seized by Iranian authorities under a false pretense,” the firm warned.
The EU-led mission, called European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
READ: International lawyers group urges UN to intervene in US-Iran conflict
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted the PA report without quoting any Iranian official about it. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.
The Strait of Hormuz is within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, which at its narrowest point is only 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. The width of the shipping lane in both directions is only 3 kilometers (2 miles). Anything that affects it ripples through global energy markets, potentially raising the price of crude oil. This then trickles down to consumers through what they pay for gasoline and other petroleum products.
There have been a wave of attacks on ships attributed to Iran since 2019, following the Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from America from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the reimposition of crippling sanctions on Tehran.
READ: Iranian state TV: Iranian forces seize foreign tanker and crew
Those assaults resumed in late April, when Iran seized a ship carrying oil for Chevron Corp. and another tanker called Niovi in May.
The seizure of the two tankers in less than a week comes as the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan sits off Houston, likely waiting to unload sanctioned Iranian oil apparently seized by the United States.
These seizures led the US military to launch a major 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. Footage released by the Navy showed the Bataan and Carter Hall in the Red Sea on Tuesday August 8.
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