Riyadh blames Iran for the strike that killed two Filipino seafarers on the tanker Sidr
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Iran had targeted the tanker Sidr, owned by the national carrier Bahri, as it transited out of the Strait of Hormuz late on Monday, and Bahri confirmed the loss of two Filipino seafarers. Kuwait and Qatar called the attack a violation of international law and of freedom of maritime navigation. Iran's Revolutionary Guard says the tankers struck mines on an unauthorised route.
Geopolitics··Morning
Sidr and Senegal Prosperity were hit minutes apart off Khasab
The maritime risk firms Marisks and Kpler reported that two tankers, each loaded with 2 million barrels of Saudi crude, were struck by unknown projectiles minutes apart as they transited outbound through Hormuz late on Monday. Marisks said the Sidr was hit about 16 nautical miles, roughly 30 km, north-east of Khasab in Oman, while the South Korean-owned Senegal Prosperity was hit by three projectiles about 17 nautical miles east of Khasab. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported two incidents at the same locations. Both ships had taken on their cargo at Juaymah on Saudi Arabia's east coast last week, according to Kpler data.[1], [2]
Riyadh names Iran while Tehran points to mines
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Iran had targeted the Sidr while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Bahri, the kingdom's national carrier, confirmed the loss of two Filipino seafarers and said it remained in continuous contact with the vessel and in close coordination with the relevant authorities. Iran has not answered the accusation. Its Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said the tankers had sought, at the urging of the US military, to transit an illegal route before striking mines and exploding. Riyadh's statement also condemned recent Iranian attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait and called for respect for the safety of international navigation.[1], [2]
Kuwait and Qatar protest as traffic through the strait stays thin
Kuwait's and Qatar's foreign ministries said the attack violated international law and freedom of maritime navigation, and Doha rejected the use of the Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining chip. Washington maintains that vessels can transit the waterway safely and has promised to continue its counter-blockade of Iranian ports indefinitely. Before the war that began on 28 February, about 20 percent of the world's oil moved through the strait. Other Bahri ships have been hit this summer: the supertanker Wedyan was struck close to Oman's coast in July, and the Masa and the Amzan were attacked in the Red Sea in July and August after the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.[2]
