'Attacked by drones of a criminal enemy … search operations underway'

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz [Reuters]
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz [Reuters]

Two fishing boats were struck by drone attacks off the coast of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran, leaving several fishermen missing, Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported Monday (local time).

The deputy governor of Hormozgan Province for political, security and social affairs said the two vessels were attacked near Bandar Kangan in the Persian Gulf on Monday evening. "The fishing boats were hit by drone strikes carried out by a criminal enemy," he said.

Iranian authorities typically use the phrase "criminal enemy" to refer to the United States or Israel.

The deputy governor said several fishermen aboard the boats went missing as a result of the attack, adding that search and rescue operations had been launched to find them.

He said details of the incident and the fate of the fishermen would be announced once the relevant authorities completed their investigation and an official report was received.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com