Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims strike in Gulf of Oman was retaliation — but targeted vessel was Panama-flagged, not American or Israeli; Qatar mediates behind the scenes as ceasefire MOU talks stall; BBC satellite analysis finds Iran struck at least 20 US military facilities since war began

The flags of the United States and Iran. [Reuters]
The flags of the United States and Iran. [Reuters]

By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business

Iran has officially claimed responsibility for a cruise missile strike on a cargo vessel sailing through Gulf waters, ratcheting up maritime tensions in the Middle East. Qatar is working behind the scenes to broker a ceasefire memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, but military clashes between the two sides continue.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement Monday claiming responsibility for the attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, according to Russia's RIA Novosti and other outlets.

The IRGC said it launched a cruise missile strike against the MSC Sarisca, which it described as an American-Israeli vessel, in retaliation for a US attack on the Iranian ship Lion Star in the Gulf of Oman.

Britain's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had announced Sunday that a cargo ship sailing roughly 40 miles southeast of Iraq's Umm Qasr port was struck by an unidentified projectile and caught fire. The attacker's identity had not been disclosed at the time, but the IRGC has now claimed direct responsibility.

Iran's characterization of the target, however, does not match the facts. The MSC Sarisca is a Panama-flagged container ship operated by Swiss shipping company MSC — not an American or Israeli vessel, as Iran claimed.

The US attack the IRGC cited as justification appears to refer to an incident in the Gulf of Oman on May 30. CENTCOM said at the time that it had issued more than 20 warnings to a Gambian-flagged merchant vessel heading toward an Iranian port for violating maritime blockade measures before disabling it with a missile.

Diplomatic channels remain active even as the military clashes continue.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke by phone Sunday with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss regional developments and ceasefire negotiations, according to Qatar's Foreign Ministry.

Qatar stressed the need for all parties to engage constructively in mediation efforts toward sustainable peace and stability, and called for a comprehensive agreement. Diplomatic observers in the Middle East widely regard Qatar as the key intermediary between the United States and Iran.

Meanwhile, new analysis suggests Iran's military counterstrikes have been more extensive than previously known.

Britain's BBC, citing its own analysis of satellite imagery and video footage, reported that Iran has struck and damaged US military facilities in eight Middle Eastern countries since the war began — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and Oman.

The BBC said at least 20 confirmed facilities sustained damage, and some military analysts have raised the possibility that as many as 28 sites were struck.

Assets assessed to have been damaged include a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery deployed at the Al Ruwais base in the UAE, an E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, and fuel storage facilities and satellite communications equipment in Kuwait.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that US airstrikes have in effect dealt a devastating blow to Iran's military capabilities. But if the BBC analysis is confirmed, it would indicate that Iran also demonstrated a significant precision-strike capability against US assets across the Middle East.

The US Defense Department has declined to comment officially on the BBC's findings, citing operational security. With both sides pressing ahead with ceasefire negotiations while simultaneously escalating military pressure, uncertainty over the Middle East situation looks set to persist for now.


sjy@heraldcorp.com