US warns airliners flying near Gulf amid Iran tensions

US warns airliners flying near Gulf amid Iran tensions
US warns airliners flying near Gulf amid Iran tensions

The Federal Aviation Administration issued an advisory cautionto US commercial airliners saying that flying over the wider Arabian Gulf faceda risk of being "misidentified" amid heightened tensions between theUS and Iran, AP reported.

The FAA notice was widely posted by US diplomats in Kuwait andthe UAE, as the statement underlined the risks the current tensions pose to aregion crucial to global air travel, as all commercial aircraft flying over thewaters of Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman needed to be aware of"heightened military activities and increased political tension."

The caution also came as Lloyd's of London warned of increasingrisks to maritime shipping in the region.

Worries about a potential conflict have flared since the WhiteHouse ordered warships and bombers to the region to counter an alleged,unexplained threat from Iran that has seen America order nonessentialdiplomatic staff out of Iraq. President Donald Trump since has sought to softenhis tone.

Meanwhile, authorities announced that a sabotage operationtargeted four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, andIran-aligned rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for a drone attack on acrucial Saudi oil pipeline.

This presents "an increasing inadvertent risk to US civilaviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation ormisidentification," the warning said. It also said aircraft couldexperience interference with its navigation instruments and communicationsjamming "with little to no warning."

The USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group have yet to reach the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which a third of all oil traded at sea passes. A Revolutionary Guard deputy has warned that any armed conflict would affect the global energy market. Iran long has threatened to be able to shut off the strait.

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
Ajel
english.ajel.sa