Attack of an Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea | USA …

An Iranian tanker was hit Friday by two alleged missiles fired in the Red Sea, one hundred kilometers from a Saudi port, during the first incident on a ship carrying the flag of Iran after a series of attacks in the Persian Gulf. The altercation occurs amidst real tensions between Iranand Saudi Arabia and its American ally, on the other. The latter two recently accused Tehran of being behind attacks on oil facilities in the kingdom, which he denies.

A few hours after the Iranian tanker attack, the Pentagon announced it would send dozens of additional fighter planes, as well as other planes and an anti-aircraft defense system to Saudi Arabia to protect its Arab ally. against potential attacks from Iran, his big regional opponent, Like last month.

The Pentagon spokesman said that the United States would deploy two more squadrons to Saudi Arabia, other planes, two Patriot missile batteries and a missile defense system called Thaad, and that this effort would necessitate the deployment of a number of missiles. 1,800 additional troops sent to the petro-monarchy. .

The National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), operator who manages the tanker fleet of IranHe said that the hull of "Sabiti" was hit by two "explosions" about 100 km from the Saudi coast, facing the port of Jeddah (west). The detonations "were probably caused by missile impacts," said NITC, adding that about 1.5 m2 of the hull had been damaged. "All the crew members are safe and sound," said NITC, who said the people aboard "Sabiti" were trying to repair the damage. "There is no fire on board," he said.

The attack was launched "from a strait near the corridor (on which the ship was traveling), to the east of the Red Sea," said the Iranian Foreign Ministry. According to Iranian television, it is possible that the incident was caused by a "terrorist attack". On the photographs published by the same TV, the deck of the ship does not appear damaged. The explosions caused an oil leak at sea, according to the Isna agency. An investigation into "this irresponsible act" is under way, said Abas Musavi, spokesman for Iranian diplomacy. The alleged attack took place before the scheduled visit to Iran and Saudi Arabia by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who will try to mediate the conflict.

– Higher oil prices –

According to the TankerTrackers website, which tracks tanker movements, "Sabiti" carries a million barrels of oil and its destination is the Gulf. After the incident, the price of crude oil rose by more than 2%. "This is fueling the fire in the Middle East," said Bjarne Scheldrop, an analyst at Swiss bank SEB.

The price of oil is increasing "because of the risk that a similar incident will occur in Iran, Saudi Arabia or Iraq, said analyst Thina Margrethe Saltvedt. This is the latest in a long series of incidents in the region, particularly after the bombings in Saudi Arabia, the seizure of oil tankers in the Gulf and the destruction of an American UAV from Tehran.

In September, Saudi Arabia and the United States, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom and France, accused Iran He was responsible for air strikes against two strategic oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a 20% increase in the price of crude oil for a short time.

US President Donald Trump said after the September aggression that the United States was "ready to react" and that Washington had announced the sending of military reinforcements to the region. These events raised fears of a military confrontation with Iran, after Washington and Tehran hit direct confrontation in June. The United States formed a maritime military coalition to protect shipping, which Riyadh and Abu Dhabi joined.

Tehran denied any involvement in the attacks, according to Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran and fight against a military coalition led by Riyadh. Iran, considered the guardian of the Persian Gulf, denounces the presence of foreign forces in the region and has repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Ormuz, strategic crossing point of the world oil trade, if the US s & rsquo; He also presented a regional project to guarantee "energy security and freedom of navigation" in the Gulf waters.

Tensions have increased since the United States withdrew unilaterally in 2018 from the international agreement on the Iranian nuclear program and reinstated sanctions against Tehran, which reacted by releasing some of its commitments. ;agreement.