![]() It still listed Singapore as its destination on its tracker.Ĭapt. Satellite-tracking data from website showed the Helios Ray had been nearly entering the Arabian Sea around 0600 GMT Friday before it suddenly turned around and began heading back toward the Strait of Hormuz. The agreements, met with scathing criticism from Iran, solidified an emerging regional alliance against the Islamic Republic.Īssociated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Robert Burns in Washington contributed to this report.Damage is seen in the Israeli-owned ship that hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman on February 26, 2021. Israel has not commented on its alleged role in the scientist’s killing.įriday’s incident also follows normalization deals between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. Over the years, Iran has been linked to attacks on Israeli and Jewish civilian targets in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Since the killing of Fakhrizadeh, the Iranian nuclear scientist, last November, Israeli officials have raised alarms about potential Iranian retaliation, including through its regional proxies like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. also had attributed a series of other suspected attacks to Iran, including the use of limpet mines - designed to be attached magnetically to a ship’s hull - to cripple four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. military blamed Iran for explosions on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes. While the circumstances of the explosion remain unclear, Dryad Global said it was very possible the blast stemmed from “asymmetric activity by Iranian military.”Īs Iran seeks to pressure the United States to lift sanctions, the country may seek “to exercise forceful diplomacy through military means,” Dryad reported. Maritime Administration, an agency of the Transportation Department, issued a warning to commercial shippers early Saturday acknowledging the explosion and urging ships to “exercise caution when transiting” the Gulf of Oman. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said it was “aware and monitoring” the situation. Vaptsarov Naval Academy, where Ungar provides support and maritime training, he owns dozens of car-carrying ships and employs thousands of engineers. He made his fortune in shipping and construction.Īccording to the Nikola Y. Calls to Ray Shipping rang unanswered Friday.Ībraham Ungar, 74, who goes by “Rami,” is the founder of Ray Shipping Ltd., and is known as one of the richest men in Israel. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss unreleased information on the incidents.Ī United Nations ship database identified the vessel’s owners as a Tel Aviv-based firm called Ray Shipping Ltd. The officials said it remained unclear what caused the holes. While details of the explosion remained unclear, two American defense officials told the AP that the ship had sustained two holes on its port side and two holes on its starboard side just above the waterline in the blast. It discharged vehicles at several ports in the region, Raja added, including in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with its last port of call at Dammam. The vessel came loaded with cargo from Europe. On Friday at 0230 GMT, the vessel stopped for at least nine hours east of a main Omani port before making a 360-degree turn and sailing toward Dubai, likely for damage assessment and repairs, he said. Ranjith Raja of the data firm Refinitiv told the AP that the Israeli-owned vessel had left the Persian Gulf Thursday bound for Singapore. Iran also has blamed Israel for a recent series of attacks, including a mysterious explosion last summer that destroyed an advanced centrifuge assembly plant at its Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program two decades ago.Ĭapt. ![]() Iran is seeking to pressure Biden to grant the sanctions relief it received under the deal that former President Donald Trump abandoned nearly three years ago. The blast comes as Tehran increasingly breaches its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers to create leverage over Washington. The Iranian government did not comment on the blast Friday. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel’s Channel 13, in an unsourced report, said the assessment in Israel is that Iran was behind the blast. It was coming from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and still listed Singapore as its destination on its tracker.
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