The Arabic website "Al Arabiya" reported on the Iranian ships "Makran" and "Sahand," noting that after the vessels caused an alert between Tehran and Washington—who announced last week that they were monitoring them, warning Venezuela and Cuba against hosting them or accepting any weapons carried by the Iranian ships—one ship tracking site revealed a surprising development. The "Tanker Trackers" website, specialized in tracking oil ships, reported today, Tuesday, that the two Iranian vessels, which entered the Atlantic Ocean after passing the coasts of South Africa a few days ago, are on their way to Syria.
The reason for their return remains unclear, but the site indicated that they will participate in a naval exercise with Russia. Last week, the frigate "Makran" and the destroyer "Sahand" managed to enter the Atlantic for the first time without docking at the ports of other countries, a move described at the time as a new Iranian threat to the United States, according to Bloomberg. Observers had then warned that Tehran might attempt to use small boats on board the frigate to disrupt shipping traffic in the Caribbean, close to America, as it has done multiple times in the Arabian Gulf.
Meanwhile, last week the United States specifically urged Venezuela, Cuba, and other countries in the region to refuse to allow the two vessels to dock. The change in the vessels' course, although its reasons are still unclear, may represent a message or a signal of retreat while negotiations continue in Vienna to revive the Iranian nuclear deal and bring the U.S. administration back to it. This comes concurrently with the U.S. Treasury Department lifting sanctions that had been imposed on a number of officials and companies in Iran.
