Iranian explosive-laden boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member, after projectiles struck three vessels in Gulf waters.
According to Al Jazeera, the ships targeted in late-night attacks on Wednesday in the Gulf near Iraq were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials told the Reuters news agency.
“We recovered the body of a foreign crew member from the water,” one port security official said, as Iraqi rescue teams continued searching for other missing seafarers.
It was not immediately clear which ship the person was linked to.
One Iraqi port security source said Zefyros is flagged in Malta and provided Reuters with a list of crew names.
Citing two unnamed sources, the outlet also reported on Wednesday that Iran has deployed about a dozen mines in the strait.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said US forces had struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels, amid warnings by Trump of severe repercussions should Iran lay mines in the key waterway for global shipping.
