TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – An Iranian cargo ship was targeted in a ‘terrorist attack’ in the Mediterranean this week, the country’s state television reported on Friday. There were no casualties in the blast, the report said.
Ali Ghiasian, spokesman for the state shipping company, said in the report that the attack on Wednesday damaged Shahr-e Kord, a merchant vessel traveling to Europe. Ghiasian said an ‘explosive device’ damaged the hull of the ship and ignited a fire that was quickly extinguished.
Ghiasian said such acts of terrorism and piracy were in violation of international regulations. He said “legal prosecution of the perpetrators of this terrorist act will be followed by competent international organizations.”
According to the report, the ship will proceed to a damage assessment without giving further details. It did not blame anyone for the attack.
Earlier this week, Israel accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guard of attaching an explosive device to the cargo ship Helios Ray in international waters near the Gulf of Oman in February. The vessel was en route from Saudi Arabia to Singapore. Israel said the blast caused “serious damage, forcing the ship to return to the port of Dubai to ensure the safety of the crew.”
Iran, which does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israel militant groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas, rejected the claim as an unfounded allegation.
Iranian General Esmail Ghaani, head of the Quds Force, your foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, also warned on Friday that Tehran would ‘destroy the wall’, referring to Israel’s separation border on the West Bank. Iranian officials are known to destroy Israel if it attacks Iran.
Israel accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Benny Gantz told US cable network Fox News that his country was upgrading emergency plans to reach Iranian targets if Tehran showed signs of a nuclear increase.
Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Unlike Iran, Israel’s nuclear program, which is widely regarded as an unexplained nuclear bomb program, is not monitored by the UN’s watchdog.