After an attack on Aramco, their biggest oil reserves, Saudi Arabia said that it joined the US-led coalition to secure the Mideast's waterways amid threats. The attacks had been claimed by Yemeni Houthis, but the US and Saudi suspect that the attack that involved use of missiles and drone has been carried out by Iran.
The Kingdom's decision to enter the International Maritime Security Construct came ahead of a planned visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Iran denies having carried out the attack, though it comes amid a summer of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its unravelling nuclear deal with world powers.
The Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical waterway for oil supplies, the Strait of Bab al-Mandab, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf are all included in The International Maritime Security Construct.
A fifth of the world's oil travel through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. The Bab el-Mandeb, another narrow strait connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden off Yemen and East Africa. Smaller patrol boats and other craft will be available for quicker response. With this move, any threats to trade efforts or security of vessels will be thwarted.
The plan also allows for nations to escort their ships through the region The US Navy already has sent Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to chokepoint positions, like either end of the Strait of Hormuz.
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US also extended an invite to Japan, which also depends on imports for their oil supply to join the construct. "We're welcoming every country to join us in the International Maritime Security Construct effort, along with the UK, Australia, and Bahrain, and we are confident that we'll have more to announce on its progress soon," a Department of State spokeswoman said.
There, they observe ship traffic and monitor for anything unusual as drones and other aircraft fly surveillance routes overhead. Tensions between Iran and US escalated ever since the US pulled out for the JCPOA nuclear deal and imposed stringent trade sanctions on Iran. Iran also seized a British-flagged oil tanker and another based in the United Arab Emirates.
US eyes UN action over Saudi blasts
The United States hopes that the UN Security Council takes up the attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure for which Washington blames Iran, a senior US official said Tuesday.
A senior US official said that Saudi Arabia, as the target of the weekend blasts, needed to take the lead in seeking action by the Security Council but that the United States first needed to prepare information for release. He also added that he hopes the UNSC will look into the attack as it was created to “address threats to international peace and security, and this attack meets that criteria," he said.
European powers have, however, distanced themselves from Trump's hawkish line on Iran and sought to preserve a deal on Tehran's nuclear program, from which he withdrew. Russia and China hold veto power in the Security Council and voiced criticisms on President Trump's sanctions against Iran. Therefore, it is not clear as to what sort of action is sought from the UNSC.
US officials say that the attacks that hit Abqaiq, one of the world's largest oil facilities, and the Khurais oil field, originated in Iran.