JEDDAH: Iraqi explosives experts were working on Friday to defuse a large mine discovered on an oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf and evacuate its crew.
It came a day after two private security firms said sailors feared they had found a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a Liberian-flagged tanker in the waters off the Iraqi port of Basra.
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine that attaches to the side of a ship, usually by a diver-member of special forces. It later explodes, and can significantly damage a vessel.
The discovery came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US in the waning days of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Already, America has conducted B-52 bomber flyovers and sent a nuclear submarine into the Arabian Gulf over what Trump officials describe as the possibility of an Iranian attack on the one-year anniversary of the US drone strike in Baghdad that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, along with a top Iraqi militia leader.
The top commander of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said his country was fully prepared to respond to any US military pressure. Gen. Hossein Salami addressed a gathering commemorating Soleimani’s death anniversary.
“Today, we have no problem, concern or apprehension toward encountering any powers. We will give our final words to our enemies on the battlefield,” Salami said, without mentioning the US directly.
The US and its Gulf allies have been warned to prepare for Iran-led terror attacks after Tehran ramped up threats of revenge.
Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a political analyst and international relations scholar, said that an Iranian terror strike against the US or one of its allies in the Gulf or in Yemen is “highly possible.”
However, he said that any attack would be limited due to US readiness to counter the Tehran regime.
Al-Shehri told Arab News that the US, more than any other global power, needed to step up its deterrent action to halt Iran’s aggressive behavior.
The US has been suffering from Iranian terrorist actions since 1977, when its embassy in Tehran was taken over by an Iranian militia group, he said.
“The US silence for over 40 years has allowed Iran to grow, develop militias and terrorist cells, and even improve its relations with several countries, which are now supporting Tehran in carrying out terrorism and challenging the US.”
Harvard scholar and Iranian affairs expert Majid Rafizadeh said: “This is political posturing and the Iranian leaders’ statements are words rather than actions. Iran is attempting to save face for one of the worst humiliations it has suffered since its establishment in 1979.”
Meanwhile, Iran has told the UN nuclear watchdog it intends to enrich uranium to up to 20 percent purity, a level it achieved before its 2015 deal with major powers and higher than the 4.5 percent it has recently been enriching up to.
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Iraq explosives experts working to neutralize mine on oil tanker
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Iraq explosives experts working to neutralize mine on oil tanker
- US and Gulf allies brace for Iran terror attacks as Tehran vows to avenge Soleimani killing
Lebanon says France to host conference to support army
- Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country’s army as it seeks to disarm militant group Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5
BEIRUT: Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country’s army as it seeks to disarm militant group Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5.
The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise.
Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph Aoun met French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan and ambassadors including from the US, Egypt and Qatar, discussing preparations for “a conference to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces.”
“It was decided to hold the conference in Paris on March 5, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron,” she said at the presidential palace.
Under US pressure and fearing expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended in late 2024.
Last week, Lebanon’s army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
A plan for the disarmament north of the Litani is to be presented to cabinet next month.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah or rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
Lebanon’s army has dismantled tunnels and other military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah near the Israeli border in recent months, seizing weapons and ammunition, despite its limited capacities.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
Last month, talks with international envoys in Paris touched on the Lebanese army’s needs, while its chief agreed to document its progress in disarming Hezbollah.
The announcement follows recent promises of support to the military, which lacks funds, equipment and technical expertise.
Presidency spokeswoman Najat Charafeddine said President Joseph Aoun met French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan and ambassadors including from the US, Egypt and Qatar, discussing preparations for “a conference to support the Lebanese army and internal security forces.”
“It was decided to hold the conference in Paris on March 5, to be opened by French President Emmanuel Macron,” she said at the presidential palace.
Under US pressure and fearing expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which was badly weakened in more than a year of hostilities with Israel that largely ended in late 2024.
Last week, Lebanon’s army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
A plan for the disarmament north of the Litani is to be presented to cabinet next month.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah or rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
Lebanon’s army has dismantled tunnels and other military infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah near the Israeli border in recent months, seizing weapons and ammunition, despite its limited capacities.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
Last month, talks with international envoys in Paris touched on the Lebanese army’s needs, while its chief agreed to document its progress in disarming Hezbollah.
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