DUBAI (Reuters) – An Iranian container ship has been damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-run shipping company said Friday, adding that it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called terrorism and maritime piracy.
The ship, Shahr e Kord, was slightly damaged during Wednesday’s incident by an explosive object that started a small fire, but no one on board was injured, spokesman Ali Ghiasian said, according to state media.
“Such acts of terrorism amount to piracy at sea and are in violation of international law on the security of commercial shipping, and legal action will be taken to identify the perpetrators through relevant international institutions,” Ghiasian said.
The ship was on its way to Europe when the attack occurred and will depart for its destination after repair, he added.
The Iranian-flagged vessel last reported its position off the coast of Syria on March 10 while en route to the Syrian port of Latakia, Refinitiv’s tracking data showed.
Two maritime security sources said the first indications were that the Iranian container ship 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 US defense official said the explosion left holes in both sides of the ship’s hull. Israel accused Iran of being behind the explosion, a charge the Islamic Republic denied.
On Friday, Israeli officials did not comment on whether Israel was involved in the Iran-reported Shahr e Kord incident.
The ship, one of Iranian ships designated by the US under severe sanctions, was detained in Libya in 2019, although it was later released.
A third maritime security source told Reuters that three other Iranian ships had been damaged by unknown causes while sailing through the Red Sea in recent weeks.
SMUGGLING
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has targeted at least a dozen ships bound for Syria carrying mostly Iranian oil out of concern that the oil gains are funding terrorism in the Middle East.
Iran, which often threatens strong retaliation for an 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 all-out war with Israel.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the report, which quoted unnamed US and regional officials, and came as the Biden administration overhauled its policy on Iran. The US Embassy in Jerusalem made no immediate comments.
Speaking to Israeli Navy cadets in 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of increased oil smuggling by sea to circumvent US sanctions, saying the Marine Corps “would play a more important role in blocking these Iranian actions.”
He did not explain what that might mean.
Israel has separately said it is conducting a covert “campaign between wars” to deny Iranian allies on its borders weapons and other support from Tehran.
“We are not commenting on the campaign we are running, from an operational point of view,” Israeli Security Cabinet Minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Tel Aviv Radio 102 FM when asked about the Journal report.
“But we always insist (that) we must be in balance against Iranian militancy on all fronts … and I suppose this includes the air and sea arenas as well as on land.”
The Israeli Navy, whose largest ships are missile corvettes and five diesel submarines, is mainly active in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
Reporting by the Dubai newsroom; Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, Jonathan Saul in London; Edited by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich