Egyptian leaders said on Thursday that a drone sparked a fire on two gas vessels in the port of Damietta on Wednesday, and while no one has claimed responsibility, the incident has fueled concerns about a widening war.
Wednesday’s incident comes as the U.S. launches retaliatory strikes on Iran for launching missiles on U.S. forces in Jordan earlier this week.
And Saudi Arabia teamed up with the U.S. on Tuesday night to launch joint strikes on Iranian proxy militias in Iraq. That came in response to drone strikes on the Saudi Aramco oil processing facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia.
The attack on the Egyptian port of Damietta underscores the potential vulnerabilities of the Suez Canal, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and highlights how expanding the conflict could further disrupt global trade.
Iran pinned the blame for the tanker strike on Israel, while praising Egypt as an “important friend and partner” in the region.
“We must all be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abass Araghchi said on social media. “The threat is clear, mutual and fearful of Muslim solidarity.”
Military experts who spoke to The Hill were skeptical of Iran’s ability to keep up such attacks, assuming Tehran is to blame, while also questioning the strategic prudence of pulling Egypt into the war.
“It’s not clear that they’re able to do that at scale to the point where they would be significant. So, if they could demonstrate, like the Ukrainians are against the Russians, that they would have the ability to conduct a sustained campaign against strategic targets like that, then that might be a little bit more influential,” said Ret. Army Lt. Gen Sean MacFarland.
Trump during a Cabinet meeting on Friday at Camp David said he was "losing faith" in the country's ability to make a deal with Iran because "they do lie and they do misrepresent."
The escalations come as Trump faces growing political pressure to end the war.
Read the full report at thehill.com.
