Ships Warned To Stay Away From Iranian Waters As Iran-US Tensions Soar

A US-driven naval coalition in the Gulf has reportedly warned vessels in the area to keep away from Iran and its territorial waters to avoid possible seizures, per the U.S. Navy.

The warning also highlights that tensions remain high around and in the Strait of Hormuz, whereby Iran seized the tankers in late April 2023 and early May this year itself, while Tehran and Washington finalize an agreement to let go of five citizens of the U.S., who were detained in Iran. The U.S. would allow $6 billion in Iranian currency long held in South Korea to be free.

The International Maritime Security Construct has been informing the regional mariners of precautions to reduce the risk of seizures based on regional tensions we seek to de-escalate, per Commander Timothy Hawkins, the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman, mentioned late on Saturday.

Vessels are now recommended to sail as far away as possible from Iran’s territorial waters.

About one-fifth of the total crude oil and oil items in the world sail via the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point between Oman and Iran at the mouth of the Gulf.

The deal for releasing U.S. citizens from Iran’s prison and permitting them to head back to the U.S. would help remove a significant irritant between Tehran and Washington, which remain at odds on problems associated with Iran’s nuclear assignment to Tehran’s support for the regional Shi’ite militias.

Iran’s mission to the U.N. has mentioned that the U.S. would be releasing some of the Iranians from U.S. prisons as part of this deal.

References: Press Republican, PBS, CTV News, Yahoo! Finance

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