Tehran:  Iranian Merchant Ship   Subjected to   "Terrorist Attack" in   Mediterranean

The Iranian Maritime Organization confirmed that a merchant ship belonging to the Islamic Republic had been attacked, which is described as a "terrorist", in the Mediterranean Sea.

Ali Ghayathian, a spokesman for the Iranian foundation, said today, Friday, that the "Shahr Kord" ship, which was on its way to Europe, was hit by an explosion while sailing in international waters, causing some damage.

He explained that the explosion hit the hull of the ship and led to a limited fire that the ship’s crew could extinguish immediately, without causing any injuries.

The spokesman pointed out that the damage caused by the explosion was repaired, and the ship then continued its course.

He described the incident as "an act of terrorism and maritime piracy that contradicts international law and the security of commercial maritime navigation."

Ali Ghayathian stressed that Iran intends to "legally prosecute those responsible for the incident through international institutions."

And the Iranian "Noor News" agency published a picture that was said to show the effects of the explosion.

The "Independent" newspaper, in its Persian version, reported that an Iranian merchant ship was hit by a possible air-to-ground missile that caused a fire in several containers on board the ship.

The newspaper said that a missile hit the deck of the Iranian container ship, "Shahr Kard", in the eastern Mediterranean, near the territorial waters of Syria, on Thursday morning, which led to the destruction of several containers and a small fire erupted on the ship's deck.

The newspaper added that the attack may have been carried out with surface-to-air missiles without a powerful warhead or precision-guided artillery missiles without a warhead.

It noted that given the proximity of the place to Israeli territorial waters, it appears that the attack was carried out by the Israeli army in response to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' naval attack on the Israeli merchant ship. "Helios Ray" in the territorial waters of the Sultanate of Oman, while Israel denied any connection to the attack on the Iranian ship.