Saudi Arabia accused Iran of attacking an oil tanker
Saudi Arabia stated that Iran attacked an oil tanker belonging to the country’s national shipping company. Two Filipino sailors were killed in the attack.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s attack on the Saudi tanker Sidr as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which resulted in the deaths of members of the tanker’s crew,” reads a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry on the social media platform X.
Reuters notes that the Sidr, owned by Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company Bahri, was one of two supertankers carrying Saudi oil that were struck late Monday while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The company stated that the Filipino sailors died as a result of a safety incident involving the Sidr at 11:40 p.m. on Monday.
“Bahri remains in constant contact with the vessel and is working closely with the relevant authorities and stakeholders in the maritime industry, while continuing to closely monitor the situation,” the company said in a statement.
It is noted that Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to pass through the narrow waterway without permission, thereby hindering energy exports from neighboring oil-rich countries in the Persian Gulf.
“The Kingdom emphasized the need to halt the escalation and to respect international maritime security and the security of global energy supplies,” Reuters quoted a statement from the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry as saying.
In July, another Bahri vessel, the supertanker Wedyan, was struck while passing through the strait near the coast of Oman.
Two other Bahri vessels, the Masa and the Amzan, were attacked in the Red Sea in July and August after the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.
This was reported by Reuters.
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