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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps navy warned vessels to stay away from U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz after overnight skirmishes, saying ships should keep their distance for safety, according to an audio recording shared with CNN.
A voice heard on VHF Channel 16, the radio frequency used by international ships for urgent communications, advised vessels to remain at least 10 miles from warships.
“We advise you to keep a distance of at least 10 miles from the warships for your safety, because sometimes we need to teach Yankees a lesson” with “missiles and drones,” the voice said, according to the recording reported by CNN.
A maritime industry source told CNN that Iranian forces called on ships in the northern part of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday to move farther south and closer to Dubai.
“The Iranians called on all the ships which were in the northern part of the Strait to move down closer to Dubai, which they all did,” the source said.
The source also said there was “intense gunfire” in the waterway that day.
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz “remains significantly reduced,” the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported.
The center said several new security-related incidents had been reported “in the last 48 hours.”
It said operating in the waterway “remains high risk based upon recent attacks on ships in the area,” adding that “blockade-related enforcement activity continues.”
Another source operating in the Iranian maritime industry told CNN that the chance of a “successful amicable resolution to this conflict” remained minimal.
“We have some concern that the war may commence soon,” the source said.
Since the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes against Iran at the end of February, Iran has threatened to strike any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz without permission from the Revolutionary Guard Corps navy.
The Strait of Hormuz has seen reduced traffic amid recent attacks on ships in the area and continuing enforcement activity, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre.
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