Red Sea attack: Iranian oil tanker hit by suspected missile strikes near Saudi coast
- Tanker owners said vessel was leaking crude
- Incident follows attacks on other ships in the Gulf
Suspected missile strikes hit an Iranian oil tanker off the Saudi coast on Friday, its owner said, the first Iranian vessel targeted since a spate of attacks in the Gulf Washington blamed on Tehran.
The National Iranian Tanker Company, which owns the ship, said the hull of the Sabiti was hit by two separate explosions off the Saudi port of Jeddah, saying they were “probably caused by missile strikes”.
Oil prices surged more than two per cent on the news, which raised fresh supply concerns with tensions still high after last month’s attacks on two Saudi crude facilities.
The International Energy Agency warned against market complacency after the attack, as it noted that a quick recovery of output and fears of a global economic slowdown had already seen prices recover from the September attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.
The blasts come just weeks after two of Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil installations were hit, wiping out five per cent of global production.