Iran confirmed that it struck a liquefied natural gas vessel at Egypt's Damietta port with a large explosive drone, according to reports. The Iranian military said the attack will be followed by intensified strikes, raising regional tensions.
Iran formally claimed responsibility Thursday morning for the drone strike on a liquefied natural gas vessel at Egypt's Damietta port, with the Iranian military stating it used a large explosive drone and vowing to escalate attacks. The confirmation marks a direct escalation from earlier anonymous claims and places Tehran in open confrontation with Cairo's official account.
As The Zioneer reported on Wednesday evening (July 29), a drone strike struck the gas-loading terminal at Damietta, damaging a U.S.-owned tanker. Egyptian security sources denied the attack, attributing the blast to a fire on an aging vessel. By Thursday morning (July 30), anonymous Iranian sources told The New York Times that the strike was a deliberate warning to demonstrate Iran's ability to disrupt global shipping. Over the next hour, the same sources escalated to claiming responsibility and threatening further action. The Iranian military's official confirmation now solidifies the attribution.
President Donald Trump stated Wednesday night that he was updated on the incident and vowed the United States would strike Iran 'very hard,' as The Zioneer reported at 22:45 Jerusalem. The attack comes amid a broader kinetic confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with Iran having previously launched drone strikes against U.S. bases in Kuwait.
Egyptian officials continue to deny a drone strike, maintaining that the explosion was an industrial accident. The precise launch point of the drone and the full extent of the damage remain unverified. Iran's threat of intensified strikes leaves the region on high alert.
7 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake