Shippers warned to stay away from Iranian waters over seizure threat as US-Iran tensions high

A US Navy spokesman for the Middle East-based 5th Fleet acknowledged the warning had been given, but declined to discuss specifics about it

An EU-led maritime organisation warned of a possible attack on a vessel of unknown flag in the Strait of Hormuz ‘in the next 12 to 72 hours’

2-MIN READ2-MIN

The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan travels through the Red Sea on August 8. Western-backed maritime forces in the Middle East on Saturday warned shippers travelling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid being seized. Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia / US Navy via AP

Published: 2:40am, 13 Aug 2023

Western-backed maritime forces in the Middle East on Saturday warned shippers travelling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz to stay as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible to avoid being seized, a stark advisory amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US.

A similar warning went out to shippers earlier this year ahead of Iran seizing two tankers travelling near the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil passes.

While Iran and the US now near an apparent deal that would see billions of Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, the warning shows that the tensions remain high at sea. Already, the US is exploring plans to put armed troops on commercial ships in the strait to deter Iran amid a build-up of troops, ships and aircraft in the region.

US Navy Commander Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Middle East-based 5th Fleet, acknowledged the warning had been given, but declined to discuss specifics about it.

A US-backed maritime group called the International Maritime Security Construct “is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimise the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate,” Hawkins said. “Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible.”

Separately, a European Union-led maritime organisation watching shipping in the strait has “warned of a possibility of an attack on a merchant vessel of unknown flag in the Strait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours,” said private intelligence firm Ambrey.

“Previously, after a similar warning was issued, a merchant vessel was seized by Iranian authorities under a false pretext,” the firm warned.