Iran Gunboats Hit 2nd Tanker in 24 Hours

Iranian gunboats attacked a Norwegian-owned tanker in the southern Persian Gulf today, the second such raid in 24 hours, and a shipping source described the attacks as “tweaking the Americans’ nose.”

Three speedboats hit the 55,361-ton Berge Strand with five rocket-propelled grenades, wounding a Norwegian crewman, as it headed into the Gulf for Kuwait.

Gunboats made a similar lightning attack on the Japanese- owned tanker Ace Chemi in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, racing back to the safety of the Iranian coast minutes later.

The raids were the first on merchant shipping since an April 29 statement by the United States that it would defend all merchant ships that asked for help in the Gulf, unless they were serving Iranian or Iraqi ports.

But in both the latest attacks--breaking a three-week lull in Iranian raids--there were no U.S. Navy ships near enough to render help.

‘New Rules ... Aren’t Clear’

“The Iranians are tweaking the Americans’ nose,” said a shipping source, noting that U.S. warships can do little to prevent such strikes in the busy 30-mile wide strait.

Some shippers said they were surprised that Iran, whose navy was mauled by U.S. warships in a battle April 18, is risking further confrontation.

“The new U.S. rules of engagement aren’t clear,” said a source. “The Americans may not be able to stop these attacks as they happen, but who knows what they might do to retaliate?”

U.S. A-6 warplanes based on a carrier in the Gulf of Oman are about 15 minutes flying time from the strait, the sources said.