Contact was lost with two Bolivian-flagged ships in the Persian Gulf, but Iraqi port authorities have not received any distress signals from them, the General Company of Iraqi Sea Ports announced.
“Maritime authorities and Specialized Search and Rescue Centers in Iraqi territorial waters have not received any messages or distress signals from the two Bolivian-flagged ships, and they have not entered Iraqi territorial waters“, the company said in a statement, quoted by the INA news agency.
The company explained that it had received “letters from the security authorities of several ports in the Persian Gulf, as well as from the owners of the two ships, with request for information as contact with them has been lost“.
The Iraqi company added that “it has “no information regarding the location of the vessels in question“, but “will continue to monitor operations in coordination with search and rescue services in the region“.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the situation in Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining security in Europe with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss Iran and efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. They also discussed the importance of Europe strengthening its own security efforts and the need to increase defense spending and burden-sharing within NATO, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.