Israel, an “affiliated” tanker hit: tensions between Iran and the US

An alleged drone attack in the Indian Ocean caused the explosion of a Liberian-flagged chemical tanker “affiliated with Israel.” The announcement was made by United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (Ukmto), specifying that the ship was hit 200 nautical miles from the Indian city of Veraval. “Some structural damage was reported and water was supplied, but no casualties were reported. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity,” the statement said. The attack took place hundreds of kilometers from the Red Sea area and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a target of the Houthis, who in response to the war in Gaza are targeting ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports.

The United States has accused Iran of being “deeply involved” in Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, following reports another Israeli-affiliated merchant vessel was hit. Tehran’s support for the Yemeni rebel group includes weapons and tactical intelligence, the White House said, presenting recently declassified information demonstrating Iranian involvement – denied by Tehran – in the attacks. Meanwhile, Israel believes the drone that attacked the tanker off the coast of India originated in Iran.

Tensions in the Middle East, therefore, do not stop. A general in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, threatened to “close the Mediterranean Sea” in response to “crimes against the oppressed people of Gaza.” Quoted by the “Tasnim” news agency, Commander Pasdaran spoke of the “birth of new powers of resistance and the closure of other waterways” to combat the United States and its allies. “They should expect the closure of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar soon,” Naqdi said, claiming to have “trapped” Western powers “in Bab al Mandab and the Red Sea.”