7th April, 2021
Agency Report
An Iranian vessel, the Saviz, has been hit in the Red Sea, a day after media reports that the ship had been attacked with limpet mines.
“The explosion occurred on Tuesday morning near the Djibouti coast and caused minor damage with no casualties. The vessel was a civilian ship stationed there to secure the region against pirates,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
“The issue is under investigation”.
It is the latest in a series of reported attacks on Israeli- or Iranian-owned cargo ships since late February, for which the two sides have each accused the other of being responsible.
Israeli officials declined to comment on Tuesday’s reported attack on the Iranian cargo ship.
A Turkish journalist later tweeted that Iran has accused Israel over the latest attack and that Washington has been briefed.
“Israeli forces carried out a strike on an #Iran ship in the Red Sea in retaliation for previous strikes by Iran against Israeli vessels.
“US official told that Israel notified the US that Israeli forces attacked the ship around 7:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday”, wrote Mete Sohtaoğlu.
The incidents have occurred since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January, pledging to rejoin Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers – abandoned by his predecessor Donald Trump in a move welcomed by Israel – if Tehran returns to full compliance with the deal.
Tehran and Washington held what they described as “constructive” indirect talks in Vienna on Tuesday aimed at finding ways to revive the accord.