WASHINGTON -– U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and John McCain (R-Arizona) today released the following statement on Iran’s seizure of the Maersk Tigris, a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz:

“Iran’s seizure of the Maersk Tigris, a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, is a serious and deliberate provocation against the United States and the international community. Under the Compact of Free Association, the United States is responsible for the defense of the Marshall Islands. This incident comes just days after an Iranian naval patrol intercepted and surrounded a U.S.-flagged cargo ship in the same area. This act is another display of Iran’s contempt for the rules-based international order and a threat to the freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital sea lanes.”

#####