Saudi Arabia's cabinet urged world powers Tuesday (June 18th) for firm measures to secure shipping lanes across the region, after last week's twin attacks on tankers that escalated regional tensions, AFP reported.
The cabinet called for "decisive action to ensure the safety of navigation in the waterways of the region... in the face of threats to energy markets and the dangers to the global economy," the official Saudi Press Agency said.
The request comes after the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, loaded with highly flammable methanol, came under attack last Thursday as it passed through the Gulf of Oman along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair.
It was the second assault in a month in the strategic shipping lane.
US President Donald Trump has said the operation had Iran "written all over it", rejecting Tehran's vehement denials. The view was echoed by Saudi Arabia.
Iran has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the strategic Strait of Hormuz in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any US attack.
Doing so would disrupt oil tankers traveling out of the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and global export routes.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday vowed the US would ensure the strait remains open.
"What you should assume is we are going to guarantee freedom of navigation throughout the strait," he said in a television interview.
