REUTERS
United States Navy warships have begun accompanying British-flagged commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as a result of Iran’s detention of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship last week, the Pentagon said Monday. The Navy has been accompanying United States-flagged ships through the strait in response to last week’s detention of the MV Maersk Tigris by Iranian Revolutionary Guards patrol boats, and a Pentagon spokesman said it had begun accompanying British-flagged ones after talks between Washington and London. Pentagon officials say the action is a temporary one. Last Tuesday the Maersk Tigris was approached by Iranian patrol vessels and ordered into Iranian waters based on what Iranian officials have said is a court order related to a commercial dispute. The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region as a result of the conflict in Yemen between Iranian-backed rebels and the Saudi-backed government. The United States is supporting the Saudi-led coalition.
