US: All Commercial Vessels in Persian Gulf Should Send Transit Plans

Advisory says military activity poses 'serious threats'

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD) has issued a statement on Thursday calling on all commercial vessels operating in the Persian Gulf to transmit transit plans in advance to the US and British navies, citing increased military activity and tensions with Iran.

MARAD claimed there was a growing threat of miscalculation. It is not clear how many commercial ships are actually submitting their plans to the navies, but there is a lot of traffic in the area.

MARAD is also claiming that there is GPS interference in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of jamming signals in the area, and suggesting that ships refuse the Iranian military if it seeks to board their ships.

Suggesting that the ships call the Fifth Fleet if Iran wants to board them suggests the US believes it can rush a military solution to any such commercial ship, though it’s not at all clear that they can practically resist being boarded until the US arrives.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.