Iranian Drone Boats and Sea Mines Target Five Vessels in Recent Attacks

Two oil tankers were targeted in Iraqi waters on Wednesday night, with reports suggesting that Iranian explosive-laden boats may have been involved in the attacks. Two ships, the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, were reportedly hit by projectiles, resulting in massive fires.

According to Iraqi port officials, one crew member was recovered from the water, but it is unclear which ship the person was linked to. The Zefyros, flagged in Malta, has a list of crew names provided by Reuters. The tankers were loaded with crude oil from the Umm Qasr port in southern Iraq and were attacked soon after their voyage began.

Reports have emerged that Iran may be using unmanned surface vessels in attacks on ships in the Gulf. This comes as tensions between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition continue, with reports of Iranian mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree dry bulk vessel was also struck by projectiles while sailing through the strait earlier on Wednesday, causing a fire and damaging its engine room.

The ship’s operator reported that three crew members were missing and believed to be trapped in the engine room, but all 20 remaining crew members had been safely evacuated. The Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile northwest of Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. A third vessel, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that any ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted. The US President has stated that US forces have struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels amid warnings of severe repercussions if Iran lays mines in the key waterway for global shipping.

Source: Al Jazeera