The U.S. Navy has begun accompanying American-flagged commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, defense officials said on Thursday, a vigorous response to Iran’s seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged ship this week in the gateway to the Persian Gulf. Navy warships have started accompanying U.S.-flagged vessels through the narrow strait where Iranian patrol boats confronted the M/V Maersk Tigris on Tuesday and took control of the ship. While Iran characterized its seizure of the ship as the outgrowth of an unresolved financial dispute, American military officials saw it as a provocative show of force by Tehran. On Thursday, the Pentagon approved the escort plan, defense officials said. “It’s a fast moving train,” said one defense official. “This is a result of […]