Explosion strikes Israeli-owned ship amid Persian Gulf tension

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES >> An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday. The unexplained blast renewed concerns about ship security in the region, amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy. The explosion in the Gulf of Oman forced the vessel to head to the nearest port.

The incident recalled the summer of 2019, when the same site saw a series of suspected attacks that the U.S. Navy blamed on Iran, which Tehran denied.

Dryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, identified the stricken vessel as the MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, rolloff vehicle cargo ship. Another private security official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, similarly identified the ship as the Helios Ray.

Satellite-tracking data from website MarineTraffic.com showed the Helios Ray had been nearly entering the Arabian Sea early Friday before it suddenly turned around and began heading back toward the Strait of Hormuz. It was coming from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and still listed Singapore as its destination on its tracker.

Israel’s Channel 13, in an unsourced report, said the assessment in Israel was that Iran was behind the blast. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The blast comes as Tehran increasingly breaches its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers to seek leverage over Washington. Iran is seeking to pressure Biden to grant the sanctions relief it received under the deal that former President Donald Trump abandoned nearly three years ago.