Israeli-linked oil tanker hit by bomb-carrying drone off Oman coast

An oil tanker related to an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, officers advised The Associated Press on Wednesday.

An oil tanker related to an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran. (AP photograph)

By Associated Press: An oil tanker related to an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, officers advised The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The assault on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon occurred Tuesday night time off the coast of Oman, one Mideast-based protection official mentioned. The officers spoke on situation of anonymity as they didn’t have authorization to debate the assault publicly.

The Pacific Zircon is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is an organization in the end owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.

In an announcement, Eastern Pacific Shipping mentioned the Pacific Zircon, carrying gasoline oil, had been “hit by a projectile” some 150 miles (240 kilometers) off the coast of Oman.

“We are in communication with the vessel and there is no reports of injuries or pollution. All crew are safe and accounted for,” the corporate mentioned. “There is some minor damage to the vessel’s hull but no spillage of cargo or water ingress.”

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An Israeli official, who spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity to debate unpublicized particulars of the assault, mentioned that it appeared Iran carried out the assault with a Shahed-136 exploding drone. Iran has equipped these drones to Russia, which has been utilizing them to focus on infrastructure and civilian targets in Ukraine.

“It is an Iranian attack, there is a consensus on this in the Israeli intelligence and defense community,” the official mentioned.

Iran’s authorities didn’t acknowledge the assault on the Pacific Zircon. Iran’s mission to the United Nations didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Oil costs rose barely as information of the assault unfold, with benchmark Brent crude buying and selling above $94 a barrel.

While nobody instantly claimed accountability for the assault, suspicion instantly fell on Iran. Tehran and Israel have been engaged in a yearslong shadow conflict within the wider Middle East, with some drone assaults focusing on Israeli-associated vessels touring across the area.

The United States additionally blamed Iran for a collection of assaults occurring off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in 2019. Tehran on the time had begun escalating its nuclear program following the unilateral U.S. withdraw from Iran’s atomic take care of world powers.

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In 2021, a suspected Iranian drone strike hit the Israeli-associated oil tanker Mercer Street off Oman, killing two individuals onboard.

It wasn’t instantly clear the place the vessel was Wednesday. Satellite-tracking information from late Tuesday supplied by MarineTraffic.com put the vessel deep within the Arabian Sea after leaving the Omani port of Sohar.

Since the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal, nonproliferation specialists warn the Islamic Republic now has sufficient enriched uranium to make a minimum of one nuclear weapon if it selected, although Tehran insists its program is peaceable.

Iran additionally has been lashing out at its perceived enemies overseas amid monthslong nationwide protests now difficult its theocracy.

Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst on the danger intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, mentioned the assault “does not come as a surprise.”

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“The risk of attacks against shipping and energy infrastructure in the wider region is rising mainly due to the lack of progress in U.S.-Iranian nuclear diplomacy and the decision by the Washington to apply further sanctions pressure on Iran,” he mentioned. “Since 2019, Iran has consistently responded to new U.S. sanctions with covert military action in the region.”

“There is not just an increasing risk of disruptive attacks against energy infrastructure in the region, but also a growing risk of a wider military confrontation with more serious consequences for world energy markets,” he added.

The oil tanker assault additionally comes comes simply days forward of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While Doha maintains good relations with Tehran, with whom it shares an enormous pure offshore pure gasoline area, Israelis shall be attending the event. Iran’s nationwide group additionally will face Britain and the U.S. in first-round matches, two international locations it accuses of fomenting the unrest in Iran.

Published On:

Nov 16, 2022