DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States on Tuesday warned of threats to commercial vessels in and around the Persian Gulf in the wake of its confrontation with Iran. ADVERTISEMENT“Heightened military activity and increased political tensions in this region continue to pose serious threats to commercial vessels,” the U.S. said in a maritime warning. Iran was accused of sabotaging oil tankers in the Persian Gulf last year. It denied those allegations but acknowledged seizing a British-flagged oil tanker in response to the impounding of an Iranian oil tanker by authorities in Gibraltar. The Iranian tanker was suspected of intending to violate sanctions to deliver oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 14, 2020 04:52 UTC