Iran is responsible for GPS interference reported by multiple vessels in the Persian Gulf, the US Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration warned on Wednesday. The department also said that “unknown entities” in the area have been “claiming to be US or coalition warships” to international vessels.
According to one US defense official, Iranian GPS jammers have been installed on an island in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The devices are allegedly used to interfere with the navigation systems of civilian aircraft and vessels in the region with the aim of getting them to enter Iranian waters / airspace so that Iranian authorities can seize them. In the midst of rising tensions between Iran and the US and its allies, Tehran has already seized at least three foreign vessels in recent weeks.
Read more: US government warns of Iranian threats to commercial shipping, including GPS interference
