From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 12, 2026
1 dead, unknown number missing as 2 oil tankers attacked near Iraq amid Iran war
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An overnight attack on two oil tankers near Iraq kills at least one crew member, an Indian national, as Iran pressed a campaign aimed at disrupting global energy markets in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.
Dramatic footage on social media apparently shows the two vessels engulfed in flames.
Additional footage of the two oil tankers struck by Iran in the northern Persian Gulf tonight, both reportedly loaded with Iraqi oil.
The tankers have been completely engulfed in flame, and are leaking burning oil. pic.twitter.com/wX2sNYZXuB
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 11, 2026
Farhan Al-Fartousi, from Iraq’s General Company for Ports, tells state television that one crew member had been killed and 38 rescued while the “search continues for the missing.”
He does not specify the crew members’ nationalities or provide details on who was behind the attack, which occurred roughly 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the coast.
However, India’s embassy in Iraq says an Indian national died in the attack, with 15 other Indian crew members evacuated.
The Iraqi government tells national news agency INA that “two tankers were subject to sabotage.”
The Strait of Hormuz, the waterway carrying a fifth of the world’s oil, remains closed to almost all oil tankers, and Iran has vowed that not one liter of oil would be exported from the Gulf while its war with the United States and Israel continues.
The Times of Israel Community.