Iraqi authorities have been forced to suspend operations at all of the country’s oil terminals after a deadly attack on Basra port early Thursday.
Farhan al-Fartousi, the head of Iraq’s General Company for Ports, announced the closure in a statement carried by the state-run Iraqi News Agency.
The attack targeted a vessel involved in a ship-to-ship oil transfer within the Basra port on the Persian Gulf.
According to al-Fartousi, it remains unclear whether the ship was targeted by a missile or a drone, which may have been either flying or seaborne. Rescue teams recovered one body and assisted 38 other individuals following the incident. While all oil terminals have been shut down, officials confirmed that Iraq’s commercial ports remain open.
