Explosive boat from Iran hits oil vessel in Iraqi waters

An oil vessel suffered an explosion off the coast of Iraq, damaging part of the ship and signaling widening risks to shipping deeper into the Persian Gulf, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

The Sonangol Namibe was approached by a small boat near Khor Al Zubair and its crew later heard a loud bang, Bloomberg cited Sonangol Marine Services as saying. The company said the hull appeared to have been breached and that the vessel was losing water from a ballast tank used for stability.

There were no reports of pollution and no cargo was on board, easing earlier concerns about a spill. A UK naval group had earlier reported oil in the water nearby.

Iran’s IRIB News reported that an oil vessel was struck early on Thursday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy but did not identify the ship, Bloomberg said.

The incident marks one of the farthest points north in the Persian Gulf where vessels have been hit since the US and Israel began bombing Iran over the weekend, and follows other strikes including one on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said a recent missile incident in Turkey was serious and showed the alliance remains vigilant, but added that Article 5 was not in order.

Rutte told Reuters NATO supports US President Donald Trump for taking out Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and stressed that Iran must no longer pose a threat.

He said it was difficult to assess how the situation in Iran would end, but added that his sense was the US “knows what it is doing.”

An Iranian conservative political activist has questioned the push to quickly select a new supreme leader, arguing that such a move could deepen divisions at a time when the country faces external military pressure.

Mohammad Mohajeri, writing on Wednesday, said Iran’s leadership institution should remain a symbol of national unity and warned that any decision that weakens the interim leadership council established under Article 111 of the constitution could undermine stability.

He said the country’s immediate priority should be defending Iran amid attacks by the United States and Israel, adding that political disputes over selecting a new leader should be avoided during the current crisis.

In a statement, the spokesperson said no one was killed or injured in the strike on a US diplomatic facility in Dubai and urged media outlets to verify information with official US government sources before publication.

“Any claim that Iran has killed 100 US military or civilian personnel in Dubai is complete disinformation. No one was killed or injured by the strike on the US Consulate in Dubai.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that a wave of attacks on US bases in Dubai killed more than 100 American military or civilian personnel.

The State Department said the world should condemn what it described as Iran’s “heinous and illegal attacks” on American diplomatic facilities and those of any country.

The department said it is in direct contact with Americans in the United Arab Emirates seeking information and assistance and is facilitating charter flights from the UAE.

It added that it is working through a 24/7 task force and regional teams to ensure Americans have accurate information and access to support. The department has also opened a crisis intake form for Americans in the UAE seeking departure assistance.

Separately, the United Arab Emirates said Iranian attacks since Saturday had killed three people and wounded 78 others.

The UAE defense ministry said those killed included one Bangladeshi, one Pakistani and one Nepali national.

The ministry said air defenses intercepted three ballistic missiles on Wednesday and detected 129 drones, destroying 121 of them while eight fell inside the country.

Since the start of the attacks, the UAE said it had detected 189 ballistic missiles, destroying 175, while 13 fell into the sea and one landed on its territory.

The ministry added that 941 Iranian drones had been launched toward the UAE, with 876 intercepted and 65 falling inside the country. It also said eight cruise missiles were detected and destroyed, and that interception operations caused some collateral damage.

The UAE condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and international law and said it reserves the right to respond.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that Ukraine could share know-how on interceptor drones with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to help boost production.

Kallas also said the European Union is not dependent on oil from those countries, limiting the impact of regional supply risks on the bloc’s energy security.

She also said political space is needed to prevent further escalation in the region and added that there must be room for democracy to get out of the cycle of escalation.