Kuwaitis Will Get U.S. Escorts Early in July

U.S. Navy ships will begin escorting Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf early next month and must do the job alone if American allies won’t help, Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger told Congress on Tuesday.

Weinberger’s comments came hours after President Reagan, meeting with other Western leaders at the Venice summit, gained diplomatic and symbolic allied support for his goal of freedom of navigation in the vital waterway.

Weinberger told the House Armed Services Committee that the Coast Guard is likely later this month to finish the paper work needed to place 11 Kuwaiti tankers under the American flag. When that administrative task is complete, he said, the Navy will begin escorting the ships.