I n recent years, conflicts in the Middle East and Mediterranean have taken another turn and split over into maritime spheres and their specific zones. Early in March, 2021 naval attacks in the Middle East region intensified this time making the Iranian navy a possible target.

According to media outlets and various analysts, citing sources from the US over the past 2 years, Israeli has targeted and attacked 12 Iranian vessels in the Red Sea and in other maritime regions. Most of these vessels were making their way to Syria. According to these sources, the vessels were mainly carrying Iranian oil with various counter sources pointing to shipments of weapons also being carried. [1].

Experts note that these naval attacks can be described as a relatively new trend and will become an integral part of the Tehran-Tel Aviv mediated conflict. During the recent attacks on Iranian tankers, two had to return to Iran due to irreversible damage. In particular, on March 12, 2021, Iran officially confirmed that the Iranian Shahr E Kord sailing in the Mediterranean Sea was damaged as a result of military actions by Israel. Tehran immediately accused Israel of the attacks on the oil tankers, calling them “terrorism and piracy” [2]. The Israeli side refrained from making any comments on the incident, neither denying, nor confirming what happened.

Cargo transportation by Israeli ships gives the Israeli side a reason to find blame on Iran’s actions in all this. In February of this year, there was a large explosion on an Israeli-owned ship, the Helios Ray, in the Gulf of Oman. Israeli Prime Minister B. Netanyahu hurried to describe the incident as another planned attack by Iran on Israeli infrastructures. The Israeli environmental protection minister Gila Gamliel, called it a form of “environmental terrorism” [3]. However, various media outlets note that the Israeli side didn’t present any serious justification that would confirm Tehran’s involvement in the explosion on the cargo vessel. The Iranian side, in its turn, denied this claim. The explosion didn’t cause any casualties, but the investigation recorded two large holes on both sides of the cargo vessel. The Israeli Helios Ray cargo vessel was en route from the Middle East to the UAE for repairs.

Experts note that the bilateral naval clashes may directly be linked with the US presidential elections and particularly with the pressure on Biden and his administration. Biden has repeatedly stated that he intends to reconsider Washington’s position on Iran’s nuclear program and return to the nuclear deal. Some analysts note that though Tel Aviv as a rule coordinates its military and intelligence operations with the United States, however, concerns grow in Israel that the new US presidential administration may ease Trump’s relatively tough stance on Iran. 

According to various experts, the reasons for Tehran’s possible involvement in the Israeli cargo vessel’s blast are due to the fact that the Gulf of Oman is notable for its strategic importance, which opens the way to the Strait of Hormuz, vital in terms of world oil supplies and cargo transportation. According to Israeli sources, in May 2019, 4 cargo vessels were hit in the Sea of Oman, and another 2 were attacked in June. The incidents were recorded in areas near Iran, which gave rise to Washington blaming Tehran for the attacks.

Israeli media outlets also testify that in recent years the Iranian side targeted cargo vessels belonging not only to Israel but also to other countries such as Great Britain and South Korea. As a result, the leading players of the international community, such as France made a proposal to increase effectiveness of measures to ensure security of navigation in the Gulf of Oman.

[1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-strikes-target
[2] https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/shipping-mys
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/1