US narrows military protection for oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz

The United States has reduced naval protection for oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz, requiring them to sail at specific times to qualify for military cover after Iranian attacks on night-shipping escalated.

• The US Navy asked tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz to sail within specified time windows to receive military protection, after Iran intensified attacks on ships sailing at night.
• Since May, Washington has provided air cover for ships on a route along the Omani coast south of the strait, after Iranian forces attacked dozens of vessels crossing the waterway.
• The US Navy's maritime coordination center said night transit "has not proven to be the safest time of day" for commercial shipping.
• Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the area would extend from the American naval blockade line toward the Strait of Hormuz and into the Arabian Gulf.