The United States is preparing to deploy Marines and Navy personnel aboard commercial tankers transiting the Gulf as part of efforts to deter Iran from seizing ships, a US official said Thursday. The security forces would provide a further layer of protection for the tankers in addition to the warships and planes operating in the strategically vital area, through which around a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
“There is an effort… to employ security details composed of both Marines and Navy sailors on commercial tankers transiting in and near the Strait of Hormuz as an added layer of defense for these vulnerable ships,” the official informed on condition of anonymity. An invitation is needed to do so because the ships are private vessels, but “we are undergoing preparations to execute should final agreements be in place to do that,” the official said.—INP
