Us Embassy News

The U.S. is pressing Sri Lanka not to repatriate the survivors from an Iranian warship it sank this week or the crew of a second Iranian ship that is in Sri Lankan custody, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.A U.S. submarine sank the frigate Dena in the Indian Ocean about 19 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southern port city of Galle on Wednesday, killing dozens of sailors and dramatically widening Washington's pursuit of the Iranian navy.On Thursday…

The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran widened on Monday, with no end in sight as Israel attacked Lebanon in response to strikes by Hezbollah and Tehran kept up its missile and drone attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.U.S. President Donald Trump said the operation could continue for some weeks and that it was unclear who was in charge in Iran, following the targeted killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israel campaign over the weekend.The attack on Iran has pitched the Gulf into war…

Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitored Chinese naval manoeuvres, the coast guard said.The exercises named "Justice Mission 2025" saw China fire dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deploy a large number of warships and aircraft near the island, in a show of force that drew concern from allies in the region and the west.Beijing announced late on Wednesday the completion of the drills…

Tougher U.S. trade penalties on goods originating in one country being re-shipped from another are not expected to immediately follow new U.S. tariffs, three people in Southeast Asia with knowledge of the matter said, easing a major cause of concern.Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam and Thailand have been explicitly targeted by White House officials for their alleged role in facilitating the so-called transshipment to America of Chinese goods, which would face higher…

HD Hyundai hosted the Korea–U.S. Leaders Forum on Education and Research on Shipbuilding at its Global R&D Center in Pangyo, Korea, on June 24.The forum was organized as a follow-up to the trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in July last year between HD Hyundai, Seoul National University (SNU), and the University of Michigan (UM) to promote talent development in the shipbuilding industry.HD Hyundai has already partnered with SNU and UM to launch a joint initiative to foster future talent in shipbuilding.The forum was attended by Andrew Gately…

U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz left the South China Sea on Monday morning heading west, according to data from ship tracking website Marine Traffic, after a reception for its planned port call in central Vietnam was cancelled.The carrier had planned to visit Danang City later this week, but two sources, including one diplomat, said a formal reception slated for June 20 had been called off.One of the sources said the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi had informed him about the cancellation…

The Government of Panama rejects the claims made by Mark D. Wallace, CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) in recent publications circulated through the media and electronic mail worldwide. Panama, through its Panama Maritime Authority (referred to by its Spanish acronym AMP), the entity in charge of the Panama Ship Registry, as the governing body of the Panamanian maritime sector, has de-flagged more than 650 ships from its registry since 2019 in compliance with the United…

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew returned to the United States, arriving in San Francisco Sunday, following a 128-day deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025.Polar Star completed its 28th voyage to Antarctica in support of the joint military service mission to resupply and maintain the United States Antarctic Stations. Every year, a joint total force team works together to complete a successful Operation Deep Freeze in support of the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State warned Venezuela on Thursday that it would be "a very bad day" for the South American country if it were to attack its neighbor Guyana or U.S.-based energy giant ExxonMobil, in comments that threatened unspecified action in such a case.Caracas condemned Rubio's remarks, made during a visit to Guyana's capital.Guyana and Venezuela are locked in a long-running dispute about which country has rights over the 160,000-square-km (62,000-square-mile) Esequibo area…

Denmark acknowledged on Thursday it had long neglected the defense of Greenland, a vast and strategically important Arctic island, after President-elect Donald Trump said acquiring the Danish sovereign territory was vital for U.S. security.Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, said this week that U.S. control of Greenland was an "absolute necessity" and did not rule out using military or economic action such as tariffs against Denmark to make it happen."We have neglected for many years to make the necessary investments in ships and in aircraft that will help monitor our kingdom…

Taiwan's defense ministry on Thursday closed an emergency response center opened earlier this week in response to what it said were stepped up Chinese military activities nearby, likely signaling an end to Beijing's maneuvers.Taiwan's defense ministry on Monday went on the alert and activated the center after reporting a large rise in Chinese military activity, both around the island and more broadly in the East and South China Seas.China's military has made no announcement about any drills taking place. Beijing views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory - a claim rejected by the government in Taipei.Taiwan's defense ministry…

The United States will provide $12.5 million to Vietnam to enhance its maritime law enforcement capabilities and combat illegal fishing, the U.S. embassy in Hanoi said on Thursday.The assistance package includes support for Vietnamese maritime law enforcement agencies, the donation of small boats and the development of training facilities, it said.Vietnam's neighbors and trade partners have urged it for years to take greater action against illegal fishing practices, including by Vietnamese vessels in the waters of neighboring countries.The European Union has long threatened a ban on fish imports from Vietnam if no concrete progress is achieved to prevent the illegal fishing.

The U.S. military is supporting Philippine operations in the South China Sea via a special task force, a U.S. embassy official said on Thursday, an initiative Manila said involves intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.Task Force-Ayungin, named after the Philippine designation for the contested Second Thomas Shoal, was first mentioned this week by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to the Philippines."Task Force-Ayungin enhances U.S.-Philippine alliance coordination and interoperability by enabling U.S.

Silver Ships, a boatbuilder based in Theodore, Ala., announced the successful completion of reactivation and crew familiarization training for four Coastal Fast Response Boats (CFRBs) recently delivered to the Montenegrin Navy. The training, which spanned two weeks, concluded with a graduation ceremony attended by officials from the Montenegrin Navy, the Ministry of Defense, and the U.S. Embassy. U.S. Ambassador Judy Rising Reinke was present to commend the crews and present training…

Greek authorities have confiscated cocaine valued at more than 1 million euros ($1.10 million) that was hidden in a sea container for bananas, the coast guard said.The drugs, seized from a vessel in Piraeus port on Monday, were found with the help of the Homeland Security Investigations unit of the U.S.

The U.S. military will not be involved in development of a port in the Philippines' remote northernmost islands near Taiwan, the local governor said, removing a potential source of friction with China over the U.S. presence in the region.The governor of the Batanes islands, less than 200 km (125 miles) from Taiwan, said in August she had sought U.S. funding for a new port there. The U.S. embassy had at the time confirmed its diplomats and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) experts had…

A Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea is transporting American citizens fleeing war between Israel and Hamas.Sailing at the request of the U.S. embassy in Israel, the Rhapsody of the Seas arrived at Israel's Haifa Port on Monday morning, loaded an unknown number of passengers and departed en route to the Port of Limassol in Cyprus.Many flights departing Israel have been canceled, leaving countless trapped inside the country as violence rages on."The U.S. government is assisting U.S. nationals and their immediate family members with a valid travel document to depart Haifa via sea for Cyprus on October 16, 2023," the U.S. embassy in Israel said in a recent security alert.“Royal Caribbean Group is actively supporting the U.S.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that an independent inquiry has found no evidence that a Russian ship had collected weapons from the country late last year destined for Russia.In claims that sparked a diplomatic row, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, told local journalists in a May briefing that Russian cargo ship Lady R had uploaded weapons at a naval base near Cape Town in December.The U.S. accusations raised questions over South Africa's professed stance of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia's war in Ukraine and concerns of possible Western sanctions.In an address to the nation, Ramaphosa…

U.S. Army Mariners assigned to 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) aboard the LCU 2032 Palo Alto rescued an overboard fisherman 10 miles off the western coast of Obi Island, Indonesia Sept. 1, 2023.Sgt. Seth Leonard, a watercraft engineer, was on the bridge of the ship when he observed the typical calm waters in the path of the ship were more active than usual.“I noticed what looked like someone waving their arms, which is the signal for distress in water,” said Leonard.

The United States envoy to South Africa said on Thursday he was confident that a Russian ship had picked up weapons in South Africa last year, in a possible breach of Pretoria's declared neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.The rand and South Africa's 2030 government bond extended losses after the U.S. assertion as currency traders said they were worried that South Africa could now face Western sanctions.The government is launching an independent inquiry led by a retired judge into the alleged arms shipment, the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement.Earlier, Ramaphosa did not confirm or deny the shipment took place when an opposition leader asked him about it in parliament.The U.S.

The Solomon Islands has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara in a project funded by the Asian Development Bank, an official of the island nation said on Wednesday.The United States and its allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan, have held concerns that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing last year."This will be upgrading the old international port in Honiara and two domestic wharves in the provinces…

A leaking fuel tanker that sank off the central Philippines three weeks ago has been found using an underwater robot from Japan, a provincial governor said on Tuesday, as authorities sought more foreign help to address the oil spill.The discovery of MT Princess Empress, which was carrying about 800,000 liters (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it capsized on Feb. 28 and eventually sank, was deemed crucial in stopping the spill, which reached shorelines in three provinces.

The U.S. government has allowed some transactions to take place with a sanctioned oil supertanker in efforts to free the vessel stranded in Indonesian waters, the U.S. embassy in Singapore said on Wednesday. The Indonesian navy has been trying to free the Djibouti-registered ship, Young Yong, which ran aground off Indonesia's Riau Islands on Oct. 26 near a gas pipeline. The U.S. last week issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's elite Quds Force…