DUBAI (Reuters) – An Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state shipping company said on Friday, adding that it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called terrorism and naval piracy.
The ship, Shahr and Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesday’s incident by an explosive object that caused a small fire, but no one on board was injured, spokesman Ali Ghiasian said, according to state media.
“Such terrorist acts are tantamount to naval piracy and are contrary to international law on commercial maritime security, and legal action will be taken to identify the perpetrators through relevant international institutions,” said Ghiasian.
The vessel was bound for Europe when the attack occurred and will leave for its destination after repairs, he added.
The Iranian-flagged vessel last reported its position off the coast of Syria on March 10, as it headed for the Syrian port of Latakia, Refinitiv vessel tracking data showed.
Two sources of maritime security said the first indications were that the Iranian container ship was intentionally targeted by an unknown source.
The incident occurred 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 clarified, although a US defense official said the explosion left holes on both sides of the ship’s hull. Israel accused Iran of being behind the explosion, a charge that the Islamic Republic has denied.
On Friday, Israeli officials did not provide comments when asked whether Israel was involved in the Shahr and Kord incident reported by Iran.
The ship, which is among Iranian vessels designated by the U.S. under harsh sanctions, was detained in Libya in 2019, although the ship was later released.
A third source of maritime security told Reuters that three other Iranian ships had been damaged in recent weeks by unknown causes as they sailed through the Red Sea.
SMUGGLING
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel is targeting at least a dozen ships bound for Syria, mainly carrying Iranian oil, for fear that oil profits are financing terrorism in the Middle East.
Iran, which often threatens severe retaliation for any Israeli attack, has often refused to point the finger at Israel over repeated air strikes against Iran-backed forces in Syria, in an apparent effort to prevent a total war with Israel.
Israeli officials declined to comment on the report, which cited unidentified US and regional officials and came as the Biden government reviewed the policy for Iran. The United States embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately comment.
In a speech to Israeli navy cadets in 2019, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of increasing oil smuggling by sea to circumvent U.S. sanctions and said the navy corps “would play a more important role in blocking these Iranian actions “.
He did not elaborate on what this could entail.
Israel said separately that it is waging a secret “inter-war campaign” to deny Iranian allies at its borders arms and other support from Tehran.
“We do not comment on the campaign we are running, in operational terms,” Israeli security minister Tzachi Hanegbi told Tel Aviv radio 102 FM when asked about the Journal’s report.
“But we have always emphasized (that) we must be prepared against Iranian belligerence on all fronts … and I suppose that also includes 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 Red seas.
Dubai newsroom report; Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, Jonathan Saul in London; Edition by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich