Gulf of Oman: Iranian Naval Ship Sinks After Catching Fire

Attempts to rescue the largest Iranian navy ship that caught fire in the Gulf of Oman, 1,270 kilometres southeast of Haran, failed.

Several Iranian semi-official news agencies have reported that the Kharg logistics warship sank completely on Wednesday. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained.

According to a foreign news agency, the plane was on a military aid mission and was carrying a combat helicopter.

The plane caught fire between Tuesday and Wednesday at 2:25 p.m. All crew members on board were evacuated and firefighters battled the blaze. However, these efforts were in vain.

A statement from the Iranian navy said all were able to disembark safely. The statement did not mention the cause of the fire.

Iran announced in April this year that one of its ships had been targeted in the Red Sea. Sources told Al Arabiya that Israeli commandos had attached an explosive magnetic device to the plane. The ship was operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Its mission was to gather intelligence near the west coast of Yemen.

The New York Times quoted a US official (who did not want to be named) as saying that Israel had informed Washington that it had targeted the Iranian ship near Eritrea.

Tel Aviv said the attack was in response to Iran’s actions against Israeli ships.

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