An Iranian-flagged vessel called the Saviz was hit with limpet mines while stationed in the Red Sea, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing unnamed sources.
According to Tasnim, the vessel has been based in the area for several years and often deploys Iranian commando boats that are used to escort commercial vessels. It was in the waterway on Tuesday when the mines exploded, the report said, without identifying the sources or saying where it got the information.
Iranian officials haven’t yet acknowledged the incident, Tasnim added.
The attack comes on the same day that Iran and world powers, including the U.S., gathered in Vienna to negotiate the full restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal. Former President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from that accord sparked a crisis in the Middle East, engulfing its waterways and shipping lanes with attacks on vessels and tit-for-tat seizures.
Tuesday’s incident follows several attacks involving Iranian and Israeli vessels over the past month. On March 25, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that an Israeli-registered ship was hit with an Iranian missile in the Arabian Sea. On March 15, Iran blamed Israel for a blast on a container ship in the Mediterranean Sea.
Munro Anderson, a partner for security company Dryad Global, said the incident may have happened in the early morning and could be a response to last month’s attack on Israeli vessel MV Lori.
U.S. Central Command, which maintains forces in the area, said its forces were not involved in the incident but was aware of reports of the attack, Erin Dorrance, deputy chief of media operations for the force, said in a phone call.
