TEHRAN - The naval stand-off in the Gulf threatened to escalate on Sunday following days of clashes and tit-for-tat accusations, as a cargo ship was struck off the coast of Qatar and Iran warned it could target US interests in the region.
Qatar’s defence ministry said the freighter had been approaching the country’s waters from Abu Dhabi when it was hit by a drone northeast of the port of Mesaieed.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said a bulk carrier had reported being struck by an unidentified projectile.
“There was a small fire that has been extinguished, and there are no casualties. No environmental impact has been reported,” the organisation said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Fars News Agency reported that “the bulk carrier struck near the coast of Qatar was sailing under the US flag and belonged to the United States.”
The incident followed threats by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target US interests in the Middle East if Iranian tankers came under attack. The warning came after a US fighter jet reportedly fired on and disabled two Iran-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Oman on Friday to prevent them from continuing to Iranian ports.
“Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships,” the IRGC said. (Bssnews)
