Radio recording shows U.S. military urges vessels to leave Iranian ports

LONDON, July 14– The U.S. military on Tuesday advised neutral vessels to immediately depart Iranian ports or discontinue transit to Iran, according to VHF radio recordings obtained exclusively by Xinhua.

A crew member aboard a merchant vessel in waters near the Strait of Hormuz provided Xinhua with recordings from the public maritime radio channel, which showed the U.S. military broadcasting a message to nearby vessels.

“All neutral vessels are advised to immediately depart Iranian ports and discontinue transit if Iran is your next port of call,” the message said.