Iran said it would only observe a two-week ceasefire if Israel ceased its attacks on Lebanon, but Israel hit over 100 sites in Lebanon on April 8.

The Balboa port is one of two terminals along the strategic Panama Canal that have become a flashpoint in the intensifying rivalry between the U.S. and China in Latin America.

According to the International Maritime Organization, some 20,000 civilian seafarers are stuck on board trapped ships and the other utility and support vessels.

The UKMTO said the crew are safe and accounted for. No environmental impact has been reported. Authorities are investigating.

Satellite photos from the European Union’s Copernicus Browser show a vessel on fire in the area on March 28, and it disappearing by April 2.

The multimodal project aims to offer an alternative to the Panama Canal.

The declaration has the potential to unleash as much as 3 million barrels a day of Iraqi oil cargoes.

The three ships transiting are particularly interesting because they are the largest type of oil tankers and the first LNG carrier to escape the gulf since the war began. 

The allegations add another point of tension between the U.S. and China ahead of President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Beijing in May.

Iran and Oman are believed to be collaborating to draft policies that would facilitate and ensure safe passage for ships moving through the strait.