2 Navy Vessels Told to Escort U.S. Cargo Ship

The Navy ordered two warships to escort an American cargo vessel in the Persian Gulf area to prevent further search and seizures of the vessel by the Iranian navy, Pentagon officials said today.

A White House spokesman, meanwhile, said Iran, which is fighting with Iraq, may have been within its rights under the rules of naval warfare.

An armed Iranian boarding party, apparently searching for war materiel destined for Iraq, detained the U.S. merchant ship President Taylor for two hours Sunday in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, near the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

The 39,000-ton President Taylor, owned by American President Lines Ltd., was in the port of Fujaira, the United Arab Emirates, today. The port is on the Gulf of Oman, just north of where the boarding incident occurred.

2 U.S. Destroyers Ordered

Within hours after the President Taylor was freed, the Navy ordered the destroyer Conolly and the frigate Boone to remain “in the vicinity” of the cargo ship. The Conolly and the Boone were in the Persian Gulf at the time and were ordered into the Gulf of Oman, officials said.

White House spokesman Larry Speakes, noting that Iran is at war with Iraq, said the United States is “continuing to assess the facts of this particular incident, not all of which are yet known, to determine whether this stop and search was appropriate under the circumstances.

“The rules of naval warfare have traditionally accorded a belligerent certain rights to ascertain whether neutral shipping is being used to provide contraband to an opposing belligerent,” Speakes said.

5 Months of Searches

He added that Iran has been stopping neutral shipping in the gulf for about five months, involving, among others, vessels from Kuwait, Italy, West Germany, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Poland and Japan.

“We have stated our deep concern about this incident because of the danger of misunderstandings, overstepping of rights and norms, and even violence, which are inherent in all ship research incidents,” Speakes added.