US moves two Gulf-based minesweepers to Malaysia - report
Navy cites ‘logistical stop’ as concerns grow over Iran's ability to disrupt key oil shipping route
The US Navy said two of its three Gulf-based warships equipped with mine clearing capabilities have traveled roughly 4,000 miles to Malaysia for what it described as a “logistical stop,” according to a report by the Financial Times.
The redeployment comes amid growing concern over Iran’s ability to lay sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint through which about 20 percent of global oil exports pass. The risk of disruption to shipping in the waterway has raised alarm among governments and energy markets as oil prices soar and Iran threatens to continue using its control of the strait as economic leverage.
"The popular demand is to continue our effective defense and make the enemy regret. The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used," said Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a televised statement read out by an Iranian news anchor last week.
The vessels are part of a three-ship deployment assigned to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The ships were sent to the region last year to help secure maritime traffic and counter potential threats linked to tensions with Iran.
The current deployment replaced four older Avenger-class demining ships that were retired from service in January. The newer vessels are designed to carry out mine countermeasure operations in contested waters.
US President Donald Trump has also called on other countries, including Japan, South Korea, France, and the United Kingdom, to deploy warships to help reopen and secure the Strait of Hormuz. According to the report, most of those countries have declined the request.
"We strongly encourage other nations whose economies depend on the strait far more than ours. You know, we get less than 1% of our oil from the Strait and some countries get much more. Japan gets 95%, and China gets 90%. Many of the Europeans get quite a quite a bit. South Korea gets 35%. So we want them to come and help us with the Strait," Trump said at an event at the White House on Monday.
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"Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren't. Some are countries that we've helped for many, many years. We've protected them from horrible outside sources, and they weren't that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me," the president said. "But they said, 'We would rather not get involved,'" he added.