Shipping traffic was slow in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday as U.S. allies in the Gulf expressed strong disapproval of Iran’s recent drone strike on Bahrain.
The United Arab Emirates condemned the attack in “the strongest terms,” while Kuwait, which is home to a significant U.S. military base, labeled it a “threat to regional security and stability.”
Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, where the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet is stationed, described the incident as a “flagrant violation of Bahrain’s sovereignty.”
According to Britain’s Maritime and Trade Services Agency, a tanker passing through the area was also hit by a projectile. Thankfully, the damage was contained, and the crew remained unharmed.
As of Saturday morning, only 10 commercial vessels had navigated the crucial waterway, as reported by Fox.
This spike in tensions followed an Iranian drone attack on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship near Oman, which led to U.S. military strikes against Iranian positions.
In response, the U.S. maritime agency announced an expansion of shipping routes along Oman, aiming to push back against Iran. This came after Tehran and the U.S. signed a memorandum agreeing to keep the strait open toll-free for 60 days.
The threat level from the agency was labeled “substantial.”
The U.S. executed a “strong response” to the assault on the M/V Everlovely, which had passed through the strait the previous day, targeting Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar, according to Central Command.
Centcom noted, “The Iranian military’s unjustified attack on a commercial vessel is a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
Iran’s actions, they said, are jeopardizing freedom of navigation as significant commerce moves through vital international trade routes.
Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking from Switzerland about ongoing talks with Tehran, assured late Friday that Iran’s aggression would not go unaddressed.
“Iran agreed to a cease-fire, and we’ve honored it. If there are disagreements over the MOU, we can discuss them,” he stated. “But violence will be met with violence.”
