On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh stated that an Iranian flagged cargo vessel was struck by an explosion in the Red Sea. Khatibzadeh reported that the incident occurred off the shores of Djibouti late on Tuesday. While the source and type of the explosion have not been identified yet, it did not cause any serious damage or casualties and injuries among the vessel’s crew, the spokesperson said.
Spokesperson Khatibzadeh also stated that being registered to the International Maritime Organization, the Saviz is a non-military vessel, which is used as a logistic station of Iran in the Red Sea as part of Iranian efforts to fight against piracy and provide safety in the Red Sea.
Earlier, some reports, claiming to be linked to the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), indicated that the Saviz was targeted by magnetic mines had circulated in the media. The incident occurred after the first round of the international conference held in Vienna, to discuss the issues regarding reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, was completed.
In recent months, increasing tensions have been witnessed between Iran and Israel in the region, and both sides blamed each other for launching attacks on vessels in the region. The tension has intensified, particularly after the killing of the Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, which Iran accused Israel of being behind it.
