A bulk tanker sailing under the American flag was hit by projectiles at Bahrain port, the first U.S. merchant ship to come under fire in the Iran war.
The crew evacuated and there were no reported injuries aboard the Stena Imperative. One shipyard worker was killed in the attack, Reuters reported.
The incident marks a widening of the conflict since Israel and the United States attacked Iran Feb. 28. FreightWaves has reached out to Stena for comment.
British security monitors reported a number of cargo vessels were attacked on Sunday by Iran, which also fired missiles on ports in the region.
Three American F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces late Sunday. Their six crew ejected and were safely recovered, according to U.S. Central Command.
Iran has blocked access to the Strait of Hormuz, and reports said 150 tankers were anchored in the Persian Gulf with dozens more waiting outside the waterway, a key route for global crude oil exports. Ship location websites show some active traffic from regional carriers attempting to defy the blockade.
Major container lines announced service changes away from Persian Gulf ports and the Red Sea, where Houthi rebels based in Yemen have threatened to resume attacks. Iran has been a main sponsor of the Houthis.
“Iran’s current direct targeting of Gulf states…lowers the political threshold for additional pressure from aligned non-state actors,” said Luca Nevola, senior analyst for ACLED, an independent global conflict monitor, in an email to FreightWaves. “A broad resumption of high-intensity attacks on Saudi territory remains less likely in the near term, given ongoing Saudi-Houthi backchannel discussions, and renewed strikes on Israel would represent the most immediate and symbolically coherent response.”
Nevola said the next phase could also involve renewed attacks on U.S. military assets in the region, particularly naval vessels operating in or near the Red Sea. “U.S. bases across the Gulf – especially in Bahrain – remain potential targets, given their symbolic and operational significance.”
Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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