Iran tanker hit by suspected missile strikes off Saudi coast

TEHRAN: Suspected missile strikes hit an Iranian oil tanker off the Saudi coast on Friday, its owner said, the first Iranian vessel targeted since a spate of attacks in the Gulf Washington blamed on Tehran. The National Iranian Tanker Company said the hull of the Sabiti was hit by two separate explosions off the Saudi port of Jeddah, saying they were “probably caused by missile strikes”.

The National Iranian Tanker Company said the hull of the vessel was hit by two separate explosions about 100 kilometres (60 miles) off the Saudi coast, which damaged two of its tanks on the starboard side. It identified the tanker as the Sabiti and said the blasts were “probably caused by missile strikes” but denied media reports that they originated from Saudi territory.

“All the ship’s crew are safe and the ship is stable too,” NITC said, adding those on board were trying to repair the damage. It added the ship is slowly moving back towards the Gulf. Iran’s foreign ministry said the tanker was attacked “from a location close to the corridor it was passing, east of the Red Sea. Oil was leaking from the tanker into the waters of the Red Sea, it added. “The responsibility of this incident, including the serious environmental pollution, falls on the perpetrators of this reckless act,” said ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, adding that investigations are continuing.

According to ship tracking service TankerTrackers, the Sabiti is fully laden with one million barrels and has declared the Gulf as its destination. Pictures published by Iranian state television showed the ship’s deck without any outward signs of damage.

It comes after a spate of still unexplained attacks on shipping in and around the vital seaway to the Gulf involving Iran and Western powers. Washington accused Tehran of attacking the vessels with mines, something it strongly denied.

There have also been seizures of both Iranian and Western-flagged vessels. The United States has formed a naval coalition to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint at the mouth the Gulf. It has been joined by Australia, Bahrain, Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Friday’s incident is the first involving an Iranian ship since the “Happiness 1” broke down at about the same location in early May. That ship was repaired in Saudi Arabia and held in the kingdom until July 21 when it was released.

The rare docking came despite escalating tensions between staunch enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016, after its missions in the country were attacked in demonstrations over the Sunni-ruled kingdom’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.