London: The US 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 US 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 US 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, Xinhua news agency reported.
Permission for humanitarian cargo exemptions must be requested through the US military, the message said, adding that vessels failing to comply with the blockade would face force.
The US-led Joint Maritime Information Centre said on Monday that the US 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 US military said that although Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, US 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 US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), 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 US military provides navigation assistance.
Earlier in the day, the US Central Command said on X that it completed a five-hour wave of strikes against Iran, targeting military facilities in Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas.
(IANS)
