Iranian sources: The explosion in Egypt was a message
According to the sources who spoke to the New York Times, the explosion was caused by a drone attack - and signaled that if an escalation occurs, Tehran could cause an even more severe energy crisis. They did not specify whether Iran launched the drone directly, or one of its proxies.
Iran has not yet officially claimed responsibility, but two Iranian sources told the New York Times that the explosion on Wednesday at the Damietta port in Egypt was caused by a drone. According to them, the attack was intended to signal that if an escalation occurs, Tehran could disrupt global shipping and energy supplies even more severely. Those sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not specify whether Iran carried out the attack directly or if it was done by its proxies in the Middle East.
The explosion occurred at a liquefied natural gas facility and caused two gas storage tanks to catch fire. The maritime security company Ambrey reported that one of them is American-owned. By attacking ships, Iran could cause further disruption to global trade, forcing shipping companies to assess the risks of using Egyptian ports. Since the war in Iran broke out at the end of February, many ship operators have avoided sailing in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
According to a report by the Reuters news agency, which relies on three sources in the trade industry, the drone hit a tanker named Energos Winter. It caught fire, and the flames spread to the second tanker, Gaslog Salem. Ambrey noted that the crews were evacuated and that the fire was brought under control.
US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had been briefed on the explosion at the port and hinted that Iran bears responsibility for it, without providing details. He added that the incident is "more of the same" when it comes to Iran.
The Damietta port, located in the northern Nile Delta, is one of the destinations mentioned by Iranian television three days ago as a target for a possible revenge attack against Ukrainian targets following Kyiv's attack against an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea. Iranian television included Damietta on a map of targets with the headline: "What could be the targets for Iran's revenge on Ukraine?". Next to the port, it was written:
"Liquefied gas in Damietta: production capacity of 5.2 million tons of liquefied gas per year. Gas export gateway to Europe".
Iranian media threatened to retaliate for the Ukrainian attack by hitting targets related to gas and oil shipments to Europe. The attack occurred after an attempt to prevent an escalation between Kyiv and Tehran. The foreign ministers of the two countries spoke, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said later that Iran "does not seek escalation," but demands "compensation" from Kyiv.
