According to reports from Russia Today (RT) and Reuters, Israel’s attack on Iran has exacerbated tensions in the Middle East. In order to pass through the Strait of Hormuz smoothly, more and more international merchant ships sailing in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf have publicly released their identity information, emphasizing that they are “related” to China or Russia, or claiming that they are “unrelated” to Israel.
Iran previously stated that if the United States joins Israel’s attack on Iranian targets, it will consider closing the Strait of Hormuz. After the US military attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities on the 21st, the Iranian parliament concluded on the 29th that the Strait of Hormuz should be closed, but the final decision lies with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
In addition, since the end of 2023, the Yemeni Houthi armed forces have attacked maritime targets believed to be associated with Israel or its allies in the Red Sea, saying that this move was to support the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Although the United States reached a ceasefire agreement with the Houthi armed forces in May this year, and the West suspended air strikes in exchange for the Houthi armed forces to stop maritime attacks, the organization subsequently warned that if the United States supports Israel’s attack on Iran, it will re-launch attacks on American ships.
Reuters cited maritime risk analysis company Windward and ship tracking data as saying that between June 12 and 24, a total of 55 ships sent 101 identification messages in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, including “Chinese ownership” or “Russian crude oil” and so on. The company believes that such information is released to prevent ships from being mistakenly believed to be associated with the West or Israel. For example, a container ship flying the Panama flag and heading to Pakistan sent the message “PKKHI all Chinese” (all ships are Chinese ships), and another ship flying the Singapore flag sent the message “Vsl no link Israel” (no connection with Israel).
According to the report, Windward CEO Ami Daniel said that although Israel and Iran have reached a ceasefire agreement, shipping companies are still skeptical about the security situation in the region. “Shipowners believe that it is difficult to understand or clarify the ownership chain of ships due to the complex nature of the shipping industry.” Daniel said. Daniel introduced that ships usually broadcast their destinations or publish neutral information, and in high-risk areas, they are sometimes marked as “armed guards on board.” But after Israel struck Iran, there was a surge in the number of ships releasing such identifying information, extending from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf.
