DUBAI (Reuters) – An Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-owned shipping company said on Friday, adding that it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called naval terrorism and piracy.
The ship, Shahr e Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesday’s incident by an explosive device that caused a small fire, but no one was injured, spokesman Ali Ghiasian said, according to state media.
“Such terrorist acts amount to naval piracy and are contrary to international law on the security of commercial transport and legal measures will be taken to identify the perpetrators through relevant international institutions,” Ghiasian said.
The ship was heading for Europe when the attack took place and will leave for its destination after repairs, he added.
The Iranian-flagged ship last reported its position off the coast of Syria on March 10, on its way to the Syrian port of Latakia, according to Refinitiv tracking data.
Two maritime security sources said the initial indications were that the Iranian container ship had been intentionally targeted by an unknown source.
The incident comes two weeks after an Israeli-owned ship, MV HELIOS RAY, was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman.
The cause was not immediately clear, although a US defense official said the explosion left holes in both sides of the ship’s hull. Israel has accused Iran of being behind the blast, an accusation denied by the Islamic Republic.
On Friday, Israeli officials did not comment when asked if Israel was involved in the Shahr e Kord incident reported by Iran.
The ship, which is among the Iranian ships that have been designated by the US under harsh sanctions measures, was detained in Libya in 2019, although the ship was later released.
A third maritime security source told Reuters that three other Iranian ships had been damaged in recent weeks from unknown causes while sailing the Red Sea.
SMUGGLING
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel targeted at least a dozen ships bound for Syria and carrying mainly Iranian oil, worrying that oil profits were financing terrorism in the Middle East.
Iran, which often threatens heavy retaliation for any Israeli attack, has often refused to point the finger at Israel over repeated airstrikes on Iranian-backed forces in Syria, in an apparent effort to avoid a full-scale war with Israel.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the report, which cited anonymous US and regional officials and came as the Biden administration examines Iran’s policy. The US Embassy in Jerusalem did not comment immediately.
In a speech to Israeli navy cadets in 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of smuggling oil at sea to evade US sanctions and said the navy would “play a greater role in blocking these Iranian actions.” .
He did not explain what that might mean.
Israel has said separately that it is waging a “hidden campaign between the wars” to deny Iranian allies at its borders weapons and other support from Tehran.
“We are not commenting on the campaign we are carrying out, from an operational point of view,” Israeli Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Tel Aviv 102 FM radio when asked about the Journal’s report.
“But we always emphasize (that) we must be prepared against Iranian belligerence on all fronts … and I assume that this includes air and sea arenas as well as on land.”
The Israeli navy, whose large ships are missile corvettes and five diesel-powered submarines, is mostly active in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
Dubai newsroom reporting; Additional reports by Dan Williams and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, Jonathan Saul in London; Edited by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich