U.S. closely watching Iranian warships in Mediterranean

The United States is was closely monitoring two Iranian warships sailing through the Mediterranean Sea, calling for the vessels to adhere to international law, a senior Pentagon official said Wednesday. “We are watching the situation,” said Colonel Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman.

“We have said generally that Iran’s actions are not helpful, but we would expect that these Iranian ships would adhere to international law no matter where they operate,” he said.

Lapan voiced hope that the ships were “adhering to international law and not engaging in activities that are threatening of security”.

He admitted that the U.S. knows “that they have transited the Suez Canal, but we don’t know why or what it is they’re planning to do.”

Two Iranian naval ships arrived Wednesday in Syria, after crossing the Suez Canal Tuesday. It was the first time Iranian vessels entered the canal since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The vessels sailed past Israeli territorial waters and Israel put its navy on high alert, saying it would respond immediately to any “provocation.”