Maritime disaster
The attacks came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran after Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The attacks came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran after Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The deployment of Indian Naval warships in the Persian Gulf to ensure the safety of Indian Flag Merchant Vessels carrying both import and export cargo after the attack on merchant ships in the Gulf of Oman is a case in point.
The bungled training exercise has raised questions about the readiness of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces amidst heightened tension with the US in the aftermath of the shooting down of the Ukranian jetliner.
The Konarak is a logistical support vessel made in the Netherlands and purchased by Iran before the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Fires broke out at two facilities of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil producer after they were reportedly hit by drones on Saturday.
The US Federal Aviation Administration also issued an emergency order prohibiting US operators from flying in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.
The Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, set up in Gurgaon by the Indian Navy in December 2018, was also keeping a close watch on the movement of ships in the Gulf region.
The US has jettisoned an international nuclear deal with which Iran has been abiding ever since it was signed by Barack Obama in 2015.
As US-Iranian tensions soared, Trump dismissed previous threats by Tehran that in case of conflict it could block the Hormuz Strait -- a narrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies.
Saudi Arabia has increased security around oil facilities and strategic areas on Saturday.
