US warship escorts British merchant ship in Strait of Hormuz

The Department of Defence in Washington has revealed that a US warship has escorted a British merchant ship during its passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported on Monday. The measure was taken after Iran’s detention of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship last week.

According to Reuters, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said that the US Navy had accompanied one British ship through the strait, one of the world’s most important shipping channels for oil, following talks between Washington and London.

“They [the British] have asked if we would accompany their flagged vessels through the strait,” Warren told reporters.

The US Navy has been escorting American-flagged vessels for several days since the detention of the MV Maersk Tigris by Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats.