An Iranian oil tanker has been damaged near the Saudi port city of Jeddah in what Iranian media said was a rocket attack.

The explosion caused an oil leak into the Red Sea but the leak was brought under control, according to the Iranian news agency IRNA. The crew was reported to be safe.

It was the latest incident in the region amid months of heightened tensions. There was no immediate word from Saudi Arabia on the reported attack.

Iranian state TV and another news agency, ISNA, said this morning that the Iranian oil tanker had been hit by two missiles, citing the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC).

Image: An image of the Sabiti published by Iranian state media hours after the 'attack'. Pic: ISNA

Image: The Iranian tanker was positioned near Jeddah. Previous tensions have centred around the Strait of Hormuz

The foreign ministry confirmed later that the tanker had been hit twice and was damaged.


"Those behind the attack are responsible for the consequences of this dangerous adventure, including the dangerous environmental pollution caused," said ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on state TV. He added that they are investigating the attack.

ISNA, who published images of the tanker, had also reported the incident could be considered a terrorist attack and that the explosion had caused extensive damage to the tanker.

NIOC has not publicly commented on this.

The agency said the alleged attack happened to the Sabiti, which belongs to NIOC, which was stationed near Jeddah.

Images released by ISNA showed parts of the ship which were undamaged; the agency reported that the crew on board the vessel are safe.

Image: This image of the Sabiti was published after the attack but it is not known when it was taken. Pic: ISNA

Image: The Sabiti tanker's location off the coast of Jeddah, according to MarineTraffic.com. Pic: MarineTraffic.com

An official from the NIOC reportedly told ISNA the vessel will change its route.

The spokesperson said: "It is still in the Red Sea but its route will change... No help was offered to assist by any country."

The tanker's original destination is listed on MarineTracker.com as Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates but, according to Reuters, the vessel will now head to Larak, an island off the coast of Iran.

Image: The explosion on board the Iranian oil tanker happened off the coast of the Saudi port city of Jeddah. File pic

The tanker was damaged early on Friday morning around about 60 miles (96 km) from Jeddah, prompting oil prices to spike by 2%.

Lieutenant Pete Pagano, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, which oversees the Middle East, said they were "aware of reports of this incident."

The incident follows a stand-off between Iran, the UK and the US over the positioning of oil tankers, an alleged attack on tankers, and comes a month on from the air strikes on Saudi oil facilities.

In June Iran was accused by the UK and US of attacking two oil tankers as footage emerged allegedly showing Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the tankers. Tehran denied involvement.

Image: The fire on board one of the ships back in June

In July, a British-flagged oil tanker named the Stena Impero was seized by Iran over alleged marine violations.

It was an apparent retaliation to an Iranian oil tanker being detained off the coast of Gibraltar by British Royal Marines two weeks before.

The tanker - Adrian Darya-1 - was feared to be transporting oil to Syria in a breach of international sanctions. The vessel - formerly known as Grace 1 - was released despite America's protests and subsequently spotted near a port in Syria.

The oil tanker disputes were followed by an air strike against Saudi Arabia's oil facilities in September.

The attack, which impacted 5% of the world's energy supply, was claimed by the Houthis, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition.

However, Saudi Arabia has publicly accused Iran of being behind the attack. Tehran denies the claims.