LONDON, July 14– The U.S. military on Tuesday advised neutral vessels to immediately depart Iranian ports or discontinue transit to Iran, according to VHF radio recordings obtained exclusively by Xinhua.
A crew member aboard a merchant vessel in waters near the Strait of Hormuz provided Xinhua with recordings from the public maritime radio channel, which showed the U.S. military broadcasting a message to nearby vessels.
“All neutral vessels are advised to immediately depart Iranian ports and discontinue transit if Iran is your next port of call,” the message said.
The U.S. military also said that, following the commencement of the blockade, the measure would apply to all vessels regardless of flag or cargo.
Vessels transiting to or from an Iranian port may be subject to interdiction and seizure, according to the recording.
Permission for humanitarian cargo exemptions must be requested through U.S. military, the message said, adding that vessels failing to comply with the blockade would face force.
The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center said on Monday that the U.S. Central Command would begin enforcing a maritime blockade targeting all Iranian ports and Iran’s entire coastal area from 20:00 UTC on Tuesday.
In another radio message obtained by Xinhua, the U.S. military said that although Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, U.S. forces were prepared to maintain freedom of navigation and safeguard lawful commerce.
“A southern route of the Strait remains open,” the message said.
Following the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, commercial vessels have mainly used two routes in the Strait of Hormuz: a northern route controlled by Iran and a southern route close to Omani waters, where the U.S. military provides navigation assistance.
Several merchant vessels have been attacked near the southern route in recent days. On the same day as the U.S. military’s radio messages, two United Arab Emirates (UAE) oil tankers were struck by projectiles while transiting the southern route, leaving one seafarer dead.
The United States has launched multiple rounds of strikes against Iran in recent days, saying the actions were in response to attacks by Iran on commercial vessels. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
