The USS Theodore Roosevelt has been in the Persian Gulf.(Photo: MC3 Anthony N. Hilkowski, U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — The Navy will accompany ships in and around the Persian Gulf following threats and harassment from Iranian patrol boats, a Defense Department official said Thursday.
The Navy has four ships in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a busy shipping lane for commercial cargo vessels. The warships will not escort individual cargo ships, the official said. Instead, the Navy will maintain communication with the ships while they are in the area and respond to distress calls.
Tensions have grown in the last few weeks between the United States and Iran. Last week, Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats encircled a U.S. cargo vessel there in a "threatening" manner, according to the Defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about that incident or the new Navy order.
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Also last week, the Navy dispatched the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier, and the USS Normandy, a guided-missile cruiser, to shadow a convoy of nine Iranian cargo and warships headed toward the Yemen capital of Aden. The cargo vessels were suspected of carrying arms to Houthi rebels in violation of United Nations sanctions. The ships turned back toward Iran this week before reaching Aden.
Earlier this week, Iranian patrol boats intercepted another cargo vessel, the Tigris, and continue to hold it near an island on the southwest coast of Iran. The Iranians have an apparent dispute the ship's owner about money, the official said. The Navy responded by sending the USS Farragut, a destroyer, to monitor the confrontation.
In a statement, Maersk said the crew of the Tigris is safe and that the incident apparently is related to a business dispute. They also acknowledged the incident with another ship, the Maersk Kensington.
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The Navy's new policy is a looser form of maritime protection than an escort, according to a Navy official who was not authorized to describe the tactic publicly. Escorts generally operate within sight of the ships they are protecting, anywhere from one to 10 miles. Accompanying another ship means they remain in radio contact but remain farther away.
Recognized shipping lanes pass in the Strait of Hormuz through Iran's territorial waters. However, under the maritime tradition of "safe passage," ships conducting regular commerce are allowed to pass without incident. Radio communication between U.S. naval and commercial ships with Iranians is common practice in the narrow shipping lanes to avoid conflict, the officials said.
It's unclear why Iran has chosen to harass commercial vessels, the officials said.
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