DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, an Israeli-owned cargo ship exploded outside the Middle East on Friday, renewing concerns over ship safety in the region.
The crew and ship were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation, operated by the British Navy. An explosion in the Gulf of Oman forced the ship to sail to a nearby port.
The incident is reminiscent of the summer of 2019, when a series of suspicious attacks on the same site saw the US Navy blame Iran, which Tehran denied. Meanwhile, when US President Biden tries to revive nuclear talks with Iran, he orders overnight air strikes. On facilities in Syria related to the powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group.
A maritime intelligence company called Droid Global Helios identified a Bahmiyan-flagged roll-, no, roll-vehicle f vehicle called a cargo ship named Ray. Another private security official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, similarly referred to the ship as Helios Ray.
Satellite-tracking data from the website MarineTraffic.com showed that Helios Ray was entering the Arabian Sea around 0600 GMT on Friday when it suddenly turned again and began to return to the Strait of Hormuz. It was coming from Dammam, Saudi Arabia and still lists Singapore as its destination on its trekker.
Israel’s Channel 13, in an unconfirmed report, assesses in Israel that Iran had a hand in the blast. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The explosion comes as Tehran increasingly violates its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to gain an advantage over 2015 Washington. Iran is seeking to lift sanctions on Biden under a deal abandoned by former President Donald Trump nearly three years ago.
Iran has also blamed Israel for the latest series of attacks, including a mysterious explosion. Last summer, its state-of-the-art nuclear facility and state-of-the-art decentralized assembly plant for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrijadeh were destroyed., A top Iranian scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program two decades ago.
Capt. Ranjith Raja of data firm Refinitive told the AP that the Israeli-owned ship left the Persian Gulf on Thursday for Singapore. Friday at 0230 GMT. However, the ship made a 360-degree turn and stopped at least an hour east of the main Omani port before departing for Dubai, with damage assessment and repairs expected.
The ship was loaded with cargo from Europe. He dispatched vehicles to several ports in the region, the king added, with his last call at Dammam, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
While details of the blast remained unclear, two U.S. defense officials told the AP that the plane blast sustained two holes in the top of the V line turline and two holes in the side of its starboard. Officials said it was unclear what caused the holes. They spoke with the AP to discuss specific information about these events on condition of anonymity.
The United Nations Ship Database identified the ship’s owners as a Tel Aviv-based firm called Ray Dependence, a subsidiary of Ray Shipping Ltd.
Ram 74, Abraham Ungar, who goes by “Rami”, is the founder of Ray Shipping Ltd., and is known as one of the richest men in Israel. He made his fortune in shipping and construction.
Nicola Y. According to the Vaptasarov Naval Academy, where Ungar provides auxiliary and marine training, it has dozens of car-carrying ships and employs thousands of engineers.
The US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain said it was “aware and monitoring” the situation.
While the circumstances of the blast are unclear, Dryad Global said the blast was made possible by “asymmetrical activity by the Iranian military.”
As Iran seeks to pressure the United States to lift sanctions, the country may “try to resort to coercive diplomacy through military means,” Dryde reported. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
In the tense summer of 2019, U.S. The military blamed Iran for the bombings on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes. The U.S. has also blamed Iran for a series of other suspected attacks, including the use of limpet mines – designed to magnetically attach to a ship’s hull – to anchor four oil tankers over the Emirati port near Fujairah.
Following the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh last November, Israeli officials have raised alarms about possible Iranian retaliation by regional proxies, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi uprising.
For years, Iran has been involved in attacks on Israeli and Jewish civilian targets in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Israel has not commented on its alleged role in the killing of the scientist.
Friday’s incident also follows a normalization deal between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. The agreement, met with harsh criticism from Iran, strengthened the emerging regional alliance against the Islamic Republic.
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Associated Press writers Laurie Kelman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Joseph Federman in Jerusalem, and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to the report.
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