At least one person was killed in an attack on two oil tankers in Iraq’s territorial waters near the southern port of Basra.
Speaking to Al-Iraqiya News, Lt. Gen. Saad Maan of the Security Media Cell confirmed the strikes on oil tankers in the port of Umm Qasr, adding that 38 crew members were rescued.
“Two oil tankers were subjected to a cowardly act of sabotage,” he said on Thursday, noting the attack took place within Iraqi territorial waters.
Maan said six ships were deployed to rescue the crews, stressing that the government is making an effort to ensure that Iraq does not become a party to the war.
According to Reuters, the two fuel tankers appear to have been attacked by Iranian explosive-laden boats, setting them ablaze late on Wednesday night.
The ships targeted were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials told Reuters. One Iraqi port security source said the Zefyros was flagged in Malta.
The attacks unfolded amid escalating instability in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, critical waterways for international oil trade.
Following the tanker attacks, a spokesperson for Iran’s military command, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, warned that oil prices could hit $200 a barrel, linking the spike to regional instability.
There have been 13 suspected Iranian attacks on vessels in the Gulf since the outbreak of hostilities.
The developments follow the regional escalation that began when Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, which has killed more than 1,200 people, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and injured over 10,000, according to Iranian authorities.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.
