Iraq has suspended operations at its oil ports following Iranʼs attack on two oil tankers. Commercial ports remain open.
This was stated by Farhan al-Fartousi, CEO of the Iraqi Ports Company, CNN reports.
One crew member, an Indian national, was killed in Iranʼs attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Maltese-flagged Zefyros. Another 38 people were rescued.
Iranian drones also hit fuel tanks at the port of Salalah in Oman, temporarily suspending operations at the container and cargo terminals there.
In total, six such attacks on ships have occurred in the Persian Gulf since Wednesday, March 11, as the Strait of Hormuz has become the center of conflict in the Middle East, Bloomberg wrote.
Whatʼs happening in the Middle East?
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. The Israelis called the operation "Lionʼs Roar", the United States called it "Epic Fury". The attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and nearly 40 other senior Iranian officials. A new ayatollah was elected on March 8, Mojtaba Khamenei (the son of the deceased Ali Khamenei).
Iran responded by launching ballistic missile attacks on Israel and US bases in the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Some Iranian drones and missiles targeted infrastructure and residential areas in Arab countries. On the first day of the attacks, Iran launched a total of 541 drones.
On March 5, Iran attacked Azerbaijan for the first time — a drone crashed into the terminal building of the Nakhichevan airport. There were injuries. A ballistic missile launched from Iran was also shot down over Turkish territory.
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