The uncommon abroad deployment is meant to make sure the “peace and stability” of Japanese service provider ships, the cupboard workplace stated in a press release, after a sequence of assaults on oil tankers over the summer season.

The move comes after attacks this year on tankers in the Gulf including a Japanese tanker, as well as on Saudi Arabian oil installations.

Friction between Iran and the United States has increased since last year, when US President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions on it, crippling its economy.

In May and June, there were several attacks on international merchant vessels, including the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous, in the region, which the United States blamed on Iran. Tehran denies the accusations.

Maritime Business World