An explosion damaged an Iranian oil tanker traveling through the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia on Friday, causing oil to leak into the Red Sea, Iranian media and the tanker’s owner have reported.
The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) said in a statement that the hull of the Sabiti was hit by two separate explosions about 60 miles off the Saudi coast.
It said the blasts were “probably caused by missile strikes”.
“All the ship’s crew are safe and the ship is stable too,” said NITC, adding those on board were trying to repair the damage.
The semi-official ISNA news agency quoted an anonymous source with direct knowledge of the incident and said the vessel was on fire, but the state-owned NITC said that contrary to reports, “there is no fire aboard the ship and the ship is completely stable”.
Iran’s Nour news agency, close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the situation was under control and no crew members were injured.
The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which oversees the region, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The reported explosion comes after the US has alleged that in past months Iran attacked oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, something denied by Tehran.
The mysterious attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran shooting down a US military surveillance drone and other incidents across the wider Middle East followed Trump’s decision.
The latest assault saw Saudi Arabia’s vital oil industry come under a drone-and-cruise-missile attack, halving the kingdom’s output.
Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but a US official said they originated from south-western Iran. Riyadh blamed Tehran. Iran, which supports the Houthis in Yemen’s war, has denied any involvement.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
