NewzVille International
At least one crew member was killed in an attack on oil tankers near Iraq, according to port authorities.
Thirty-eight crew members had reportedly been rescued, and search operations were continuing for others still missing. The attack has forced authorities to halt operations at all oil terminals in the country.
With this, the total number of vessels attacked in the Gulf rose to six after an unidentified projectile struck a container ship, causing a small fire near Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates.
Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck a Liberia-flagged vessel, which they claimed was Israeli-owned, and a Thai bulk carrier in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian crude oil, however, has reportedly continued to flow through the Strait of Hormuz at a near-normal pace even as Tehran-linked attacks have decimated exports from other Gulf countries.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia intercepted a drone heading towards the Shaybah oil field on Thursday, as Iran again targeted the facility in its campaign to disrupt global energy markets.
Drones also struck fuel tanks at Oman’s Salalah port as Iran continued to target Gulf infrastructure. No casualties were reported in the attack on the port.
