A fully-loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai was set ablaze in an attack on Monday amid US President Donald Trump’s warnings against escalation in the ongoing West Asia war involving the United States, Iran and Israel, as per agency reports.
The apparent strike on the Kuwait-flagged Al-Salmi is the latest in a string of assaults on merchant vessels by missiles or explosive air and sea drones in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, reported Reuters. Iran has targeted many merchant vessels since the US and Israel attacked the country on February 28.
The month-long conflict has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and threatening a global economic crisis.
Crude oil prices briefly spiked after Kuwait's state news agency reported the attack on the tanker. As per reports, the attacked tanker can carry around 2 million barrels of oil worth more than $200 million at current prices.
Kuwait Petroleum Corp, the ship's owner, said work was underway to assess damage.
No injuries have been reported, authorities in Dubai said.
The jump in oil and fuel prices has started to weigh on US household finances and become a political setback for Trump ahead of the November midterm elections. His Republican Party has vowed to lower energy prices and ramp up US oil and gas production.
The US national average retail price of gasoline crossed $4 a gallon for the first time in more than three years on Monday, data from price-tracking service GasBuddy showed.
