13/03/2026

FRIDAY | MAR 13, 2026

9

Merchant ships on front lines in Gulf and Strait of Hormuz

DRONES DOWNED IN SAUDI ARABIA RIYADH: Saudi drones headed towards the Shaybah oil field yesterday as Iran targets the facility again in its campaign to disrupt global energy markets. “Two drones heading towards the Shaybah oil field were intercepted and destroyed,” said a Defence Ministry spokesperson. This comes after Saudi Arabia confirmed on Wednesday that it had prevented several drone attacks against the facility, which is crucial to the country’s oil production. The Shaybah oil field sits near the border with the United Arab Emirates and is operated by Saudi giant Aramco, one of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalisation. – AFP ITALIAN BASE IN IRAQ HIT BY MISSILE ROME: An Italian military base in Iraqi Kurdistan was struck by a missile overnight, although no injuries were reported, the Italian Defence Ministry said yesterday. “A missile hit our base in Erbil. There are no casualties or injuries among the Italian personnel,” it said shortly after midnight yesterday. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has been in constant contact with senior military commanders over the incident, the ministry added. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italian military personnel have taken shelter in a bunker and all were “well and safe”. Italy has around 300 troops in Erbil, working on training Kurdish security forces, the Defence Ministry said. – Reuters Arabia intercepted two

BR I E F S

DUBAI: Explosive-laden Iranian boats appear to have attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member on Wednesday, after projectiles struck four vessels in Gulf waters, said port, maritime security and risk firms. The latest attacks on ships linked to the United States and Europe mark an escalation in the conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces, raising the number of ships struck in the region since fighting began to at least 16. Shipping in the Gulf and along the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil, has come to a near-standstill since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on Feb 28, sending global oil prices surging to highs not seen since 2022. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have said if attacks on Iran continue, they would not allow “one litre of oil” to be shipped from the Middle East to the US, Israel or their partners. US President Donald Trump said Washington would strike Iran harder if it blocked oil exports and oil companies should use the strait because “just about all of (Iran’s) navy is gone”. The vessels targeted in the recent attacks in the Gulf were the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Malta-flagged Zefyros , which had loaded fuel cargoes in Iraq, two Iraqi port officials said. Iraq’s State Organisation for Marketing of Oil (Somo) said Safesea Vishnu was chartered by an Iraqi company contracted with Somo while the Zefyros was loaded with condensate products from the Basra Gas Company. Both were attacked in the ship-to-ship loading area within Iraqi territorial waters, it said. Iraq’s oil ports have completely stopped operations following the assaults while commercial ports continue to function, Iraq’s state news agency said, citing the head of the state-run General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI). The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the crew of one ship have been evacuated and are reported safe. “A boat belonging to the Iraqi o Number of vessels struck in region since fighting began rises to at least 16 JAKARTA: Foreign ministers of major Muslim-majority nations have called on Israel to immediately cease the closure of the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, condemning the closure of the site to Muslim worshippers, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan. In a joint statement, the Foreign ministers of Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye

Shi’ite Muslims holding posters of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, alongside late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a religious procession in Karachi, Pakistan on Wednesday. – REUTERSPIC

ports company rescued 25 crew members from the two vessels, and the fires are still burning on both ships,” said GCPI director-general Farhan al-Fartousi. Iraqi rescue teams continue searching for other seafarers. “We recovered the body of a foreign crew member from the water,” one port security official said. Safesea Vishnu ’s commercial operator and beneficial operator are Safesea Transport Group and Safesea Group, respectively, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data. Those US-based companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. One Iraqi port security source said the Zefyros is flagged in Malta and provided Reuters with a list of crew names. Lloyd’s List Intelligence data showed UK-based Cygnus Tankers Limited as the commercial operator and the George and Vassilis Michael family group of companies, a key player in Greek shipping, as the beneficial owner of a tanker matching that name and flag registry. Cygnus Tankers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters was not able to immediately reach the beneficial owner. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have repeatedly warned that any ship and the United Arab Emirates urged Israel to lift access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers from entering the mosque. They called on the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as its violations of

Star Gwyneth, maritime risk management company Vanguard said, adding that the vessel’s crew are safe. Owner Star Bulk Carriers said the ship was hit in the hold area while anchored. – Reuters

passing through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted. Trump has said US is prepared to provide naval escorts whenever needed. However, the US navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, sources familiar with the matter said. The Japan-flagged container ship ONE Majesty also sustained minor damage on Wednesday from an unknown projectile 25 nautical miles (46km) northwest of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, two maritime security firms said. Its Japanese owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and its charterer Ocean Network Express’ spokesperson said the vessel was struck while at anchor in the Gulf and an inspection of the hull revealed minor damage above the waterline. All crew are safe, they said, adding that the vessel remains fully operational and seaworthy. The owner said the cause of the incident is under investigation. A bulk carrier was also hit by an unknown projectile 50 nautical miles (92.6km) northwest of Dubai, maritime security firms said. The projectile had damaged the hull of the Marshall Islands-flagged the sanctity of these sacred places. They affirmed their condemnation of what they described as illegal and unjustified measures, along with continued provocative actions against worshippers, noting that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites. “Security restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, coupled with

Iran vows to strike US, Israeli economic targets

discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to the other places of worship in the Old City, constitute a flagrant violation to international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo, and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship.” They were speaking in a statement uploaded on the Indonesian Foreign Ministry’s social media yesterday. TEHRAN: Iran’s military vowed on Wednesday to launch strikes against US and Israeli economic interests in the region, including banks, while an Iranian news agency listed tech giants as possible “future targets”. “The enemy has given us free rein to target economic centres and banks belonging to the United States and the Zionist regime,” the military’s central operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya said in a statement carried by state TV in response to reports of a strike hitting an Iranian bank. It urged people across the region to avoid going within one kilometre of banks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “A branch of my country’s oldest bank was bombed while full of employees. Our powerful

They said the area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims. They added that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer its affairs and regulate its entry. – Bernama “With the expansion of regional war into infrastructure warfare, the scope of Iran’s potential targets are expanding,” it wrote, without citing a source for the possible development. Tech giant Amazon said last week two of its data centres in the United Arab Emirates were “directly struck” by drones, disrupting cloud services in parts of the Middle East. – AFP armed forces will exact retribution for this crime.” Iranian media reported that US and Israeli strikes hit a bank in Tehran overnight on Tuesday, killing an unspecified number of staff. Iran’s news agency Tasnim published a list of potential targets for Iran on Telegram, including the offices of tech giants such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia in Gulf countries and Israel.

Ministers call on Israel to end Al-Aqsa Mosque closure