Iran Oil Terminal, Other Targets, Hit, Iraq Says

Iraq said Thursday that its warplanes attacked an Iranian oil terminal, a tanker in the Persian Gulf and military bases in western Iran. Iran said at least 10 civilians were killed in the raids.

An Iranian leader, meanwhile, said the time is favorable for its long-promised final offensive against Iraq, and the government plans to send another 100,000 soldiers to the front by next week.

The official Iraqi News Agency quoted an unidentified military spokesman as saying the raid on the Kharg Island oil terminal in the northern gulf hit the western loading platforms.

The spokesman said the jetties were the only part of the terminal still operating and the complex has now been “completely destroyed,” said the report, monitored in Nicosia.

It also said Iraqi planes attacked a large maritime target, Iraq’s term for an oil tanker, off Iran and “destructive hits” were reported by the pilots.

No Distress Signals Received

Tehran did not comment on the raids. Gulf-based marine salvage officials said no distress signals were received. Iraq has been attacking tankers and Iranian oil installations for months to throttle Iran’s oil-based economy in a bid to end the six-year-old war.

the Iraqi News Agency said Iraqi planes also attacked an Iranian army base in Sardasht in Azerbaijan province, setting it on fire.

But Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency, also monitored in Nicosia, said a residential area, not a military installation, was hit. It said 10 civilians were killed and others wounded.

Iraq also reported air strikes against military targets in Marivan, Mosk and Rebat in western Iran and said they “dealt destructive blows.” It reported fatalities in Marivan, but gave no figures.

The Iraqi raids apparently were retaliation for the Iranian missile attack Wednesday on Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, that killed 48 civilians and wounded 52.

Long-Range Artillery Attacks

IRNA said Iran’s long-range artillery hit military and economic centers Wednesday and destroyed several tanks, ammunition and military positions.

The Iraqi report said its forces repulsed a battalion-size attack in the central sector of the front, inflicting “big losses.”

There was no independent confirmation of the claims. Iran and Iraq rarely allow foreign observers to visit the front.

In Tehran, IRNA quoted Parliament speaker Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying another 100,000 soldiers would be sent to the front by Tuesday. Some of those soldiers reportedly have already joined the estimated 650,000 troops Iran has massed at the front over several weeks.

The delay in launching the offensive, expected to center on the southern and central sectors of the 730-mile border-frontline, has raised speculation that Tehran is waiting for winter.

Military analysts believe winter weather, with its reduced visibility, would help neutralize Iraq’s superior air force.