CNN – WBAP/KLIF – Five hundred U S troops have been ordered to Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base, joining a small number of troops and support personnel already in place. A British-flagged oil tanker remains in Iranian custody after being seized by the Islamic Republic’s navy in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.
The British government called an emergency meeting of national security officials to discuss the seizure of the Steno Impero, and summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires. Iran said the seized tanker was using the exit lane to enter into the Strait of Hormuz, almost colliding with other vessels, a state-run news agency reported.
France and Germany have condemned Iran’s actions, and British Airways has suspended flights to Cairo for seven days “as precaution to allow for further assessment”. U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Ecuador gave a speech critical of Iran for ongoing issues the U S has with that country concerning nuclear buildups, seizures of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and drone and damaging attacks on mostly oil ships in the Persian Gulf.
(Copyright, All Rights Reserved, WBAP/KLIF 2019)