Maritime disaster
The attacks came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran after Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The attacks came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran after Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The deployment of Indian Naval warships in the Persian Gulf to ensure the safety of Indian Flag Merchant Vessels carrying both import and export cargo after the attack on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman is a case in point.
The bungled training exercise has raised questions about the readiness of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces amidst heightened tension with the US in the aftermath of the shooting down of the Ukranian jetliner.
The Konarak is a logistical support vessel made in the Netherlands and purchased by Iran before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Fires broke out at two facilities of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil producer after they were reportedly hit by drones on Saturday.
Saturday's attack is the latest part of a series of attacks on oil infrastructure, including the sabotage of pumping stations along the East-West pipeline, and attacks on oil tankers off Fujairah and close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest incident came as President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the US military had downed an Iranian drone that was threatening an American naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, despite denials from Tehran.
The UK's Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the civilian aircraft, reports said.
The US President has couched his strained defence of the sanctions with the assertion, “I can only tell you we cannot ever let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Earlier on Friday, the United Airlines suspended its services between New Jersey’s Newark and Mumbai.
