Iran ship bombed

An Iranian cargo ship believed to be used as a base for Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) was apparently attacked by Israel, marking a potentially significant escalation in the rivals’ maritime war. The incident on Wednesday came as world powers sat down in Vienna to discuss the possible re-entry of the US into the Iranian nuclear deal, a move that Tel Aviv opposes. Yesterday, Tehran confirmed the blast, thought to be Israel’s first strike on a military base. Tasnim, a news agency linked to the IRGC, said the blast was caused by explosives planted on the hull of Iran’s MV Savis, which was off the coast of Yemen at the time. Israeli officials alerted the US that they struck the vessel around 7.30am local time, according to an American official.