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. The blast comes as Tehran increasingly breaches its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers to create leverage over Washington. The Iranian government did not comment on the blast Friday. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Israel’s Channel 13, in an unsourced report, said the assessment in Israel is that Iran was behind the blast. It was coming from Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and still listed Singapore as its destination on its tracker. Satellite-tracking data from website showed the Helios Ray had been nearly entering the Arabian Sea around 0600 GMT Friday before it suddenly turned around and began heading back toward the Strait of Hormuz. 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. Meanwhile, as President Joe Biden tries to revive nuclear negotiations with Iran, he ordered overnight airstrikes on facilities in Syria belonging to a powerful Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group.ĭryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, identified the stricken vessel as the MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship. The incident recalled the summer of 2019, when the same site saw a series of suspected attacks that the US Navy blamed on Iran, which Tehran denied. The explosion in the Gulf of Oman forced the vessel to head to the nearest port. The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy. An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security in the region amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran.
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