WASHINGTON: US Federal Aviation Authority has issued a warning to US civil pilots to ‘exercise caution’ when operating in the airspace above the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to tensions in the region.

The FAA states that Iran possesses a wide variety of anti-aircraft-capable weapons, including surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs), man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) and fighter aircraft that are capable of conducting aircraft interception operations.

Some of the anti-aircraft-capable weapons have ranges that encompass key international air routes over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

The FAA continues that although Iran likely has no intention to target civil aircraft, the presence of multiple long-range, advanced anti-aircraft capable weapons in a tense environment poses a possible risk of miscalculation or misidentification, especially during periods of heightened political tension and rhetoric.

There is also the potential for Iran to increase their use of Global Positioning System (GPS) jammers and other communication jamming capabilities, which may affect US civil aviation operating in overwater airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.