UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed that several ship captains near Ras al Khaimah received radio instructions to leave their anchorages. Authorities are investigating, and vessels were asked to report further suspicious activity.
The orders follow the IRGC’s warning Friday that ships using routes it considers unauthorized would be pursued beyond the Strait of Hormuz. “Any vessel passing through an unauthorized route will be pursued throughout the region, and its punishment will be certain,” the Guards said. The Washington Institute’s maritime tracking map has recorded at least 15 attacks against tankers since Sept. 28.