Iranians Attack 3 Tankers, 2 U.S.-Owned

Iranian gunboats attacked three tankers, two of them owned by American companies, in the southern Persian Gulf on Monday, apparently signaling the resumption of Iran’s retaliatory strikes against civilian shipping after an unusual weeklong lull.

The first ship hit was the 260,831-ton tanker Esso Freeport, which is owned by New York-based oil giant Exxon Corp. but is registered in the Bahamas.

The Esso Freeport was attacked by two Iranian gunboats firing rocket-propelled grenades near this emirate at the southern end of the Persian Gulf. Damage was slight, according to gulf-based shipping sources, and no injuries were reported.

The ship had taken on a full load of crude oil at the Saudi Arabian export terminal at Ras Tannurah over the weekend.

Because the ship is of Bahamian registry, it was not entitled to escort by the U.S. Navy, which regularly accompanies U.S.-flagged tankers and cargo ships through the gulf.

Wire services quoted shipping executives as saying the Esso Freeport’s captain was overheard calling on the radio, “American warship, American warship!”--apparently an appeal for help--as his vessel came under attack. There was no response from any warship, the executives said, and it was not known if any American naval vessel was in the area.

The second attack, on a Greek vessel, occurred off the emirate of Ras al Khaima, closer to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf that leads to the Sea of Oman. Two Iranian speedboats hit the Filikon L, causing a fire to break out on board, according to the shipping sources. The extent of the damage could not be immediately determined.

The third ship attacked was the 64,000-ton Lucy, which was hit off Oman by rocket-propelled grenades fired from Iranian gunboats, according to a spokesman for New York-based North American Ship Agencies, Inc., the Lucy’s owner. The vessel, which flies the Liberian flag, reported minor damage but no casualties.

As is its policy, Iran did not mention the gunboat attacks. Tehran radio, monitored in Dubai, said only that Iranian forces shot down three Iraqi fighter-bombers over southern and western Iran. The broadcast said “tens of civilians were martyred or wounded.”

The gunboat attacks followed a week in which the Tehran regime initially appeared to have moderated its policy of retaliating for Iraqi air raids against its oil installations by going after civilian shipping serving the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

12 Tankers Hit in 6 Days

In the last six days, the Iraqi regime has reported hitting 12 tankers on the northern, or Iranian, side of the gulf. The targets included a tanker, the Fortuneship L, which was attacked repeatedly by Iraqi warplanes and burned for days.

“The Iranians have been unusually quiet,” said one gulf shipping official. “But this could be the start again.”

Before Monday’s attacks, the last Iranian raid was against a Japanese-owned tanker, the Liquid Bulk Explorer, which was hit Nov. 11 near the Strait of Hormuz. The attack was notable because an American convoy passed within several miles of the Japanese ship as it came under attack, but the Americans refused to intervene.

In addition to appearing to curtail attacks against shipping in recent days, the Iranians have also avoided open confrontation with Kuwait. Last month, the Iranians fired three Silkworm missiles into Kuwait’s offshore oil-loading facility, damaging two tankers and the loading platform.

Western analysts have speculated that the relative decline in Iranian counterthrusts in the gulf is attributable to Iranian preparations for a ground offensive against Iraq.

Over the weekend, Iran reported that President Ali Khamenei presided over a rare joint session of the Iranian Cabinet, the Supreme Defense Council and the Supreme War Support Council.

Tehran radio quoted Khamenei as saying that the meeting was aimed at “strengthening of the war fronts and organizing the great movement which has started.”

Western diplomats have reported the arrival of several thousand fresh troops at the southern front east of the Iraqi city of Basra in what appears to be preparation for an autumn offensive against Iraq’s second-largest city.

Further fueling speculation about a ground offensive was a rare directive from Iran’s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who was quoted as saying, “It is obvious that this imposed war is the top priority issue, and it is imperative that victory be achieved as soon as possible.”

The Iranian leader also approved a new mobilization drive to recruit several thousand more volunteers for the front. He made a point of noting that civil servants should not be exempt from service.

Tehran radio said Khamenei ordered one-fifth of all government employees to enlist and “breathe the smell of the war fronts.”