The vessel was slightly damaged by explosives that caused a small fire and no injuries, state media reports.
An Iranian submarine was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-run shipping company said Friday, saying it would take legal action to the makers of the name. identify “terrorism” and naval piracy.
The vessel, Shahre Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesday’s incident by explosives that caused a small fire, but no one on board was injured, the argument, 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 shipping, and legal action will be taken to identify the perpetrators through relevant international institutions,” said Ghiasian.
The vessel was taken to Europe when the attack took place and will leave for its destination after repair work, he said.
Two maritime security sources said the first signal was given that the Iranian carrier was deliberately targeted by an unknown source.
The incident comes two weeks after an Israeli ship, the MV Helios Ray, was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman.
The cause was not immediately clear, although a U.S. defense official said the explosion left holes on both sides of the ship’s hull. Israel accused Iran of being behind the explosion, an allegation it denied.
On Friday, Israeli officials did not comment when asked if Israel was involved in the Shahre Kord incident reported by Iran.
A third maritime security source told Reuters news agency that three other Iranian ships were damaged a few weeks ago by unknown causes while sailing through the Red Sea.
Smuggling
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has targeted at least a dozen ships heading for Syria and most are carrying oil from Iran without worrying about petroleum profits. funding terrorism ”in the Middle East.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the report, which was called by unnamed U.S. and regional officials and came as the Biden administration’s review policy on Iran. The U.S. Ambassador to Jerusalem did not immediately comment.
In a speech to Israeli naval cadets in 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accused Iran of more oil smuggling at sea to circumvent U.S. sanctions, and said the “naval corps would play a more important role in thwarting these Iranian activities”.
He did not analyze what that might involve.
Israel has stated in particular that it is embarking on a “covert operation between wars” to reject Iranian alliances on the arms of its borders and other support from Tehran.
“We will not comment on the campaign we are implementing, in terms of action,” Israeli security cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Tel Aviv radio 102 FM when asked about the Journal’s report.
“But we are always stressed [that] we must oppose Iranian strife on all sides … and I believe this includes the air and sea sectors, as well as land. ”
The Israeli fleet, which owns the largest vessels of missile corvettes and five diesel-powered submarines, is heavily involved in the Mediterranean and Red Seas.