MillenniumPost
World

Iran ship said to be Red Sea troop base off Yemen attacked

Dubai: An Iranian ship believed to be a base for the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and anchored for years in the Red Sea off Yemen has been attacked, Tehran acknowledged Wednesday.

Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack on the MV Saviz, suspected to have been carried out by Israel though Tehran did not immediately blamed its regional archenemy.

The assault came as Iran and world powers sat down in Vienna for the first talks about the US potentially rejoining the tattered deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme, showing events outside the negotiations could derail those efforts.

The ship's long presence in the region, repeatedly criticized by Saudi Arabia, has come as the West and United Nations experts say Iran has provided arms and support to Yemen's Houthi rebels in that country's yearslong war. Iran denies arming the Houthis, though components found in the rebels' weaponry link back to Tehran.

Iran previously described the Saviz as aiding in anti-piracy efforts in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a crucial chokepoint in international shipping. A statement attributed to Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh described the ship as a commercial vessel.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported ... and technical investigations are underway," Khatibzadeh said. "Our country will take all necessary measures through international authorities.

In an earlier state TV statement, an anchor cited a New York Times story, which quoted an anonymous US official telling the newspaper that Israel informed America it carried out an attack Tuesday morning on the vessel.

Next Story
Share it