US to boost presence in Strait of Hormuz amid Iran tensions

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US military announced Friday that it will be stepping up patrols in and near the Strait of Hormuz alongside regional partners amid increasing tensions with Iran.

The strategic waterway, which separates Iran on the north from Oman and the UAE on the south, has been the site of repeated tense exchanges between the US and Iranian navies. In recent months, it has also been the site of the May 3 seizure of a Panama-flagged oil tanker by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Less than a week prior, the IRGC seized Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Niovi on April 27.

The US Navy said the increased aircraft and ship patrols would be conducted alongside regional allies and partners, and would bolster "multinational efforts to deter threats to commercial shipping and reassure regional mariners."

“Iran’s unwarranted, irresponsible and unlawful seizure and harassment of merchant vessels must stop,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said in a statement. “U.S. 5th Fleet and our partners are committed to protecting navigational rights in these critical waters.”

Iran "harassed, attacked or interfered" with 15 internationally-flagged merchant ships within the past two years, according to the Navy's tally.

It said the actions are "contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security."