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An oil-laden ship belonging to an Israeli millionaire was attacked by an Iranian-made drone as it sailed over the Gulf of Oman, leaving no casualties or spilling diesel cargo, according to Eastern Pacific Shipping, the ship’s managing company. In parallel, Iran released two Greek ships that had been held on its territory since May, ending the tense relations between Tehran and Athens in recent months.
An Israeli official reported that the Pacific Zircon ship was attacked with a Shahed-136 drone, the same type that Iran has been supplying to Russia to attack vital infrastructure in Ukraine.
Eastern Pacific Shipping, controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer, said it is investigating the incident involving his ship, which was some 150 miles off the Omani coast.
“Preliminary reports indicate that the ship was hit by a shell,” the Singapore-based firm explained.
According to the maritime tracking site Marine Traffic, the ship impacted during the last hours of Tuesday had planned the route from the port of Sohar, in Oman, to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Representatives of the maritime trade of the United States and the United Kingdom affirmed that they were aware of the attack, announced the opening of an investigation to clarify the facts and carry out sanctions if appropriate.
For its part, the Iranian news agency Nournews blamed Israel for being behind the attack, in addition to assuring that the “Jewish-Arab axis” would have the objective of creating a hostile environment before the start of the World Cup on Sunday 20 November in Qatar.
The tense relations between the Arab nations
In recent years, attacks on oil tankers have become a constant in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. The latter to Pacific Zion comes at a time of high regional tension with Iran.
Starting with the so-called Abraham Accords, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established ties with Israel, driven by their joint security concerns regarding Iran. In turn, along with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, they broke ties with Qatar and imposed a boycott after accusing it of supporting terrorism in the region.
The blockade had serious consequences for Qatar, which was isolated for almost four years. Economic and diplomatic tensions between the bloc and Qatar eased with the partial restoration of ties at the beginning of 2021.
In July 2021, a Pacific Zicron-like attack on a tanker loaded with petroleum products was reported in the Gulf of Oman, also run by an Israeli company, which was strongly denied by Iran.
Greece and Iran reached a diplomatic understanding
Greece and Iran reached an agreement to release two Greek-flagged oil tankers that had been held since May in Iran, in response to the US seizure of Iranian oil off the Greek coast.
Greece’s Ministry of Shipping confirmed the news, which would end a months-long diplomatic stalemate between Athens and Tehran. “The final agreement was reached today in Tehran,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Iran has released the two Greek oil tankers it held since May as part of an agreement with Athens.
Ship tracking data showed the vessels Delta Poseidon and MT Prudent Warrior were underwater from Iran.— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) November 16, 2022
The company Delta Tankers, in charge of the administration of one of the ships, confirmed this Wednesday that its ship was released and indicated that it is heading to the port of Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, to carry out technical inspections before returning to Greece.
“This is very good news and we are grateful to everyone involved in securing this launch. The team is doing well and happy to be on the road after many months,” the company remarked.
The two countries signed a memorandum in which they commit to increase cooperation to improve bilateral maritime security.
with Reuters
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