Drone and Missile Attacks Target Cargo Ships near Iraq

A cargo ship was attacked by drones while sailing near the Umm Qasr port in Iraq on Monday. On Tuesday, Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for a missile attack against a commercial vessel, describing it as justified retaliation for an attack by the “terrorist and child-killing U.S. military” against an Iranian ship.

The first incident occurred on Monday, roughly 40 nautical miles southeast of Umm Qasr. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) said the ship involved was hit by an unknown “projectile” on its starboard side, resulting in a large explosion.

According to Iraqi officials, a second blast on the same ship was caused by a drone attack while emergency crews were addressing the damage from the first explosion.

“As we were assessing the damage from the first explosion, we heard a drone hovering overhead, ​followed by a ​powerful ⁠blast that sparked a fire on the tanker,” said a member of the Iraqi maritime patrol.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, and UKMTO did not identify the vessel that was targeted. (Read more from “Drone and Missile Attacks Target Cargo Ships near Iraq” HERE)