US Navy urges vessels to use southern corridor to traverse Strait of Hormuz, refutes Iran's authority over international waterway

Washington, July 10 -- The US Navy has continued to urge commercial vessels to use the southern shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz despite recent Iranian attacks on ships using the route and repeated warnings from Tehran that vessels should instead transit via a northern passage close to Iran's coastline.

In an advisory issued today, the Bahrain-based Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), which includes the US Navy among its core members, said the security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters remained severe.

However, the notice reaffirmed that the southern route near Oman's coast remains open to commercial traffic.

"Notwithstanding recent unprovoked attacks on merchant vessels, mariners are reminde...