By Pooya Stone

It has been reported by the Trump administration that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with regards to the Iran situation, in particular the threat to maritime security in the Gulf.

They spoke on Wednesday and during their phone call they agreed that there is a need for “stronger maritime security” when it comes to the freedom of navigation amid the heightened tensions between Iran and the West.

By Pooya Stone

The owner of the British-flagged vessel that was seized by Iran has described Iran’s actions and continued detention as “unacceptable and unjustifiable”.

On Friday 19th July, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized Stena Impero, claiming initially that the British-flagged vessel had collided with a fishing boat. The IRGC took control of the boat and the 23 crew members that were on board and it remains in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

By Jubin Katiraie

The Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration in the United States has issued a warning about the threat Iran poses to commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf and in particular in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that is crucial for a large portion of world commerce.

By Jubin Katiraie

Earlier this week, the British government said that it would be joining the naval security mission in the Strait of Hormuz that is being led by the United States.

Towards the end of last month, the United States military initiated efforts to protect commercial shipping interests against Iran in the Persian Gulf. Mark Esper, the US Secretary of Defense, said that the aim of the United States’ air and naval presence is to deter Iran from seizing or threatening to stop any American commercial ships.