Iranian vessels allegedly rigged with explosives attacked two tankers—including the Greek-owned Zefyros—within Iraq’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. According to Greece’s public broadcaster ERT, at least one crew member died in the incident, while 38 others were rescued.
Attack and aftermath
The French news agency AFP, citing Iraqi port authorities, confirmed that rescue operations followed the attack in Iraq’s maritime zone. The two burning vessels were identified as the Zefyros, flagged in Malta, and the Safesea Vishnu, flagged in the Marshall Islands. The Safesea Vishnu is owned by U.S.-based Safesea Transport Inc., while the Zefyros is operated by a Greece-based company.
Farhan al-Fartousi, spokesperson for Iraq’s General Company for Ports, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that Iraqi maritime personnel responded to rescue the crew of a foreign tanker attacked in Iraqi waters—initially withholding further details about the circumstances. Later, he told CNN that 38 crew members from two foreign oil tankers had been rescued after both caught fire following the attack—but at least one person was killed.
Location and sovereignty concerns
The attack occurred inside Iraqi territorial waters, according to Brigadier General Saad Maan, head of media for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command. He described the incident as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and stressed that Iraq reserves the right to pursue legal action.
CNN-verified footage shows both tankers engulfed in flames, with fires spreading across surrounding waters—likely due to an oil slick. Vessel tracking data suggests the ships were anchored very close to each other when the fire broke out.
Separate incident off UAE
Meanwhile, a container ship was struck by an ‘unknown projectile’ off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, triggering a ‘small fire’, according to UAE maritime security authorities. The incident—reported shortly after 5:30 a.m. local time (05:30 EET)—resulted in no casualties.