Saed News: Following the declaration of a “critical” situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Oman reported the sighting of a suspicious floating object that may be a naval mine. At the same time, the United Kingdom and the United States issued new security warnings, raising fresh concerns about the safety of this strategic waterway.
According to SAEDNEWS, citing Nour News, Oman’s Maritime Security Center and the U.S. Navy have declared a “critical” status and warned about suspicious objects, possibly naval mines, in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, Oman’s Maritime Security Center announced that a suspicious floating object had been observed in the western section of the Strait of Hormuz transit corridor. The center urged passing vessels to exercise maximum caution due to the possibility that the object could be a naval mine.
According to Al Jazeera, Omani maritime officials stressed that the presence of this suspicious object could pose a threat to navigation safety in the region, prompting the issuance of warnings to ships operating in the area.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization stated that, due to the current conditions and the regional blockade, the maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains extremely critical.
At the same time, the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command released a warning today, claiming that dangerous military activities were taking place in the Strait of Hormuz and north of Oman’s Musandam Peninsula.
In its statement, the command assessed the regional threat level as “critical” and alleged that Iran was attempting to exert control over the strategic passage through the deployment of naval mines.
The U.S. Navy further advised mariners to avoid standard shipping routes and the traffic separation scheme in the Strait of Hormuz, recommending that vessels coordinate their transit routes with U.S. naval guidance.
Ships were also advised to maintain continuous radio communication with U.S. forces and to comply immediately with any instructions received.
The warning concluded by stating that any vessel involved in mine-laying operations or supporting such activities would be targeted by U.S. forces under what it described as the right of “self-defense.”
