Washington: The United States has asked oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz to sail only at specific times to ensure “military protection,” according to a report in the British newspaper, the Financial Times. This move comes after Iran escalated its attacks on ships sailing at night.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, since last May, Washington has been providing protection to ships wishing to sail through a route that runs along the Omani coast at the southern end of the strait, in an effort to counter Iranian attacks and ensure the continued flow of oil shipments. Previously, ship owners had to submit requests to the US Maritime Coordination Center, which provided sailors with route coordinates and granted them permission to sail during broad periods at night, under the protection of US aircraft.

Iran has attacked dozens of ships attempting to transit the waterway in an effort to assert its control since the US and Israel launched their military campaign against it last February. The modification of US support to specific times of day coincides with an escalation of attacks by both sides on commercial shipping.

Iran announced early Wednesday that it had targeted two US warships and eight oil tankers in retaliation for US strikes on five Iranian oil tankers. The US military stated that these attacks were in response to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s ballistic missile attack on a US warship earlier that week.