No Fire Seen in First Images of Iranian Tanker after Friday Attack
The first images of an Iranian oil tanker hit in the Red Sea near Saudi Arabia show that the Friday attack has caused no fire aboard the vessel.
The pictures indicate that there is no fire on the Iranian oil tanker named “SABITI” and that the vessel seems to be in a stable situation.
According to media reports, the Iranian oil tanker was hit by two suspected rockets on Friday off the coast of Saudi Arabia and oil is leaking from the vessel.
The oil tanker was 60 miles (97km) from the Saudi port city of Jeddah when the incident took place, the reports said.
There was no immediate acknowledgment from Saudi Arabia about the blast.
Friday’s incident came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia after attacks by Yemeni forces on the kingdom’s oil facilities, with Washington and Riyadh claiming Iran was behind them.
The Yemeni Houthi Ansarullah movement immediately took credit for the attacks, but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo swiftly accused Iran of being behind the assault, without providing any evidence. Tehran categorically rejected the allegations.
