Why US warships’ pit stop in Malaysia is raising eyebrows

The apparent docking of two light US combat ships in Penang over the weekend has raised eyebrows among Malaysian government critics regarding the country’s position on the US-Israel war on Iran, and questions over the deployment of de-mining vessels thousands of miles from the conflict zone.The USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara were seen on Sunday at the North Butterworth Container Terminal, according to social media images and the Financial Times, which cited a US Fifth Fleet spokesperson confirming “brief logistical stops” in Malaysia.Tracking data from the Marine Traffic website showed the vessels in the Strait of Malacca on Tuesday, heading away from the flashpoint Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy gateway that Iran says it has mined and US President Donald Trump wants reopened.The presence of the vessels, which the US Navy says are fitted with mine-countermeasure capabilities, comes as the Hormuz closure heightens tensions between the US, its allies and other nations dependent on the waterway for their energy supplies.The neck of water next to Iran carries a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.But container traffic has come to a standstill after ships – including the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree – were targeted by drones and other missiles from Iran, which has declared the strait closed.