The United States could soon offer to put armed sailors and marines on commercial ships traveling through the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz amid alleged attempts by Iran to hijack ships in international waters.
The Pentagon last month sent additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets along with a warship to the Middle East in a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran’s seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels.
After taking a commercial tanker last month, Tehran said it had an order from an Iranian court to seize a tanker in Gulf waters. The Strait of Hormuz is between Iran and Oman.
In May, the White House announced that the Biden administration would be making moves in the region, but at the time did not say what they would include.
Officials said the military had already been training some Marines in the Middle East to be on the vessels.
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