GULF VESSELS WARNED AGAINST GOING NEAR IRAN

DUBAI—Western naval forces operating in the Gulf have warned ships sailing in the strategic Strait of Hormuz against approaching Iranian waters to avoid the risk of seizure.

The warnings issued on Saturday and Sunday follow a week that saw the United States boost its military presence in the region, and an agreement between Washington and Tehran that has raised hopes of reducing tensions between the adversaries.

“Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible” to minimize the risk of seizure, US Fifth Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Tim Hawkins told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The International Maritime Security Construct, led by Washington, is “notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to deescalate,” he added.

The alliance, established in 2019, comprises 11 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Its mission, according to its website, is to “provide reassurance to merchant shipping in the Middle East region.”

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said late Saturday in a statement that it had been “made aware of an increased threat within the vicinity of Strait Of Hormuz,” through which onethird of the world’s oil transported by sea passes.

It advised all vessels to “exercise caution and report suspicious activity to UKMTO.”

In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, maritime security company Ambrey said that they have been warned by Greek and US authorities, as well as others, “of an attack on a merchant vessel... in the Strait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours.”