US Invites Over 60 Nations to Maritime Security Briefing - State Dept. Spokesperson
The United States invited more than 60 nations to a closed-door briefing on a new initiative to achieve maritime security in the Middle East, a State Department spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday
"Over 60 nations have been invited to the briefing," the spokesperson said. "They include members of the diplomatic corps from the European, Asian and Middle East regions that share similar maritime security concerns and broadly encompassing NATO allies, select Latin American and African countries with shipping equities, as well as states with major import and export interests tied to the Gulf region."
Friday's briefing is being co-hosted by the Department of State and the Department of Defense.
The maritime initiative will focus on safeguarding freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Middle East following the increase of threats in and around the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, the State Department said on Wednesday.
The US said that a multinational effort is required to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the critical transit area.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after the aircraft ignored multiple warnings to stand down. Senior Iranian officials, however, insisted that none of their country's aircraft had been destroyed.
The situation in the Persian Gulf and adjacent areas has deteriorated over the past couple of months as several oil tankers were hit by explosions of undetermined origin. The United States and its allies blamed Iran for the incidents, but Tehran denies involvement.
The Iranian military in June downed a US drone, saying it violated Iranian airspace. The Pentagon insisted that the drone was in international territory and called the incident an "unprovoked" attack.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday said it seized a UK oil tanker, Stena Impero, for violating international regulations.