New details are emerging about Iran’s recent wave of aggression in Persian Gulf shipping lanes and airspace. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed Saturday evening the identity of the massive tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, along with operational details of a parallel drone attack the Tehran regime launched against Bahrain, the New York Times reported.
1+According to U.S. intelligence, the vessel that took a direct hit to its upper deck is the Kiko, a giant oil tanker sailing under the Panamanian flag. Maritime tracking data reveals the ship’s massive dimensions—stretching roughly 335 meters in length.
The tanker departed Thursday from Qatar’s Al-Shaheen oil field loaded with valuable cargo, and was scheduled to dock Sunday at Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates. Despite structural damage to the deck from the Iranian drone explosion, the tanker maintained stability and continued sailing toward its destination.
1+Simultaneously with the tanker strike, the U.S. official disclosed that the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out another attack, this time targeting the strategic location of Bahrain. The assault involved launching at least two suicide drones.
Air defense systems in the area moved quickly against the digital threat: one drone was successfully intercepted and shot down by ground-based air defense weapons. The second drone managed to penetrate but landed and crashed without causing casualties or damage in a remote area of a local airfield. These new findings underscore the depth of Tehran’s ceasefire violations and heighten international vigilance ahead of potential responses from regional allies.