kayhan.ir

News ID: 88944
Publish Date : 07 April 2021 - 22:02

Who Attacked the Iranian Ship in the Red Sea?



By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

Was Iran’s anti-piracy vessel in the Red Sea, "Saviz”, attacked by state-sponsored pirates or by pirate regimes – both of which want to keep the region in turmoil?
Investigations are underway to determine the extent of damage, although there were no casualties. The probe on Tuesday’s terrorist attack off the coast of Djibouti will also focus on any links to a similar terrorist attack on the Iranian cargo ship "Shahr-e Kord” last month in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Iran will be interesting to find out the type of explosives used by the terrorists and the bases from which they operate, even though the US CENTCOM terrorists in the region have quickly distanced themselves from the attack on "Saviz”, saying no American forces were involved.
Such a statement, however, does not mean the Americans were totally unaware of the terrorist attack, since the US actively supports Israeli terrorism throughout West Asia as well as Saudi Arabia’s terroristic war in Yemen.
The "Saviz”, owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, has been stationed in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, since late 2016 to protect naval routes and to provide security for merchant vessels and tankers against pirates.
It is a non-military vessel, whose specifications and mission are formally registered with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Iranian vessels have often been attacked by pirates operating in the region, and there are instance of Iranian crewmen being kidnapped and held captive by these modern day corsairs infesting in the shipping lanes between the Horn of Africa and the southern coasts of Yemen.
The case of "Saviz” is clear, since no petty pirates were seen in its vicinity, which means it is the dirty work of some terroristic state using technology and arms supplied by the Americans.
At any rate, Tehran has decided to take all the necessary measures regarding the case through international bodies and will on no account end its peacekeeping mission in the region.
Once the investigation is complete and the identity of the attackers or their affiliations determined, Iran will respond in a decisive manner to counter state-sponsored pirates or the pirate regimes.