US wants armed troops in commercial ships crossing Persian Gulf
Washington is looking for new ways to confront the Iranian navy in the Straight of Hormuz after deploying dozens of fighter jets and thousands of troops to the strategic waterway
The US military is looking to place armed sailors and marines on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported on 3 August, in the latest escalation against Iran in one of the world's most strategically important shipping corridors.
US officials made the announcement just weeks after deploying A-10 Thunderbolt II warplanes, multiple F-16 and F-35 fighter squadrons, the guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, the nuclear-powered USS Florida submarine, and three amphibious assault ships with thousands of troops onboard to the Persian Gulf.
It also comes just days after the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) navy launched surprise drills in Gulf waters simulating the defense of three disputed islands.
One US official speaking to Reuters said the military had already been training marines for this role, but it would ultimately be up to commercial vessels to “request troops to be on board.”
About a fifth of the world's crude oil and oil products pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.
In recent months, Iran has seized several commercial ships and tankers accused of fuel smuggling and hit-and-run incidents. The seizures also come in response to Washington’s theft of Iranian oil tankers under the pretext of enforcing sanctions against Tehran.
The situation has increased the danger of a military confrontation as the US seeks to cement its military presence in the region when a large portion of the Arab world is moving away from Washington's sphere of influence.
On April 23, Washington seized the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Suez Rajan, transporting Iranian crude oil to China. It redirected the ship toward Texas, where it remains moored off the coast near Houston, as oil companies fear touching the looted shipment.
On 27 April, Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
According to Iranian naval authorities, the foreign tanker collided with an Iranian vessel, resulting in several casualties. The tanker violated international regulations by trying to escape, prompting Iran to seize it.
Maritime security company Ambrey said the Iranian confiscation was in response to the US seizure of the Suez Rajan four days before. "Ambrey has assessed the seizure by the Iranian Navy to be in response to the US action," it said in an advisory to clients.
On 3 May, Iran seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Approximately a dozen Iranian IRGCN fast-attack craft swarm Panama-flagged oil tanker … forcing the merchant vessel to reverse course into Iranian territorial waters during an unlawful seizure,” the US navy said in a statement via Twitter.
In April, a group of US lawmakers recently urged the government of US President Joe Biden to step up seizures of Iranian oil shipments at sea, lamenting how “Iranian oil sales continue to rise” despite US economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
Tehran has referred to such US actions as ‘maritime piracy.’