IRAN’S Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed the explosion in the country’s commercial ship Saviz, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency.

The Iranian commercial ship was slightly damaged in the explosion in the Red Sea off the coast of Djibouti on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the foreign ministry, was quoted as saying.

“Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the accident,” said the spokesman.

The civilian ship was stationed in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to provide maritime security in the shipping line and to fight pirates, Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying.

The ship acted practically as the country’s logistics station for technical support in the Red Sea, said Khatibzadeh, adding that its specifications and mission had already been reported to the International Maritime Organization.

The cause of explosion is under investigation, and Iran will take all necessary measures through international bodies in this regard, he added.

In another development, Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for a bomb-laden drone attack at the King Khalid Airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.

“Two drones hit sensitive targets inside King Khalid Airbase in Khamis Mushait city accurately,” Yehya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement aired by the group’s al-Masirah TV.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-owned Alarabiya TV cited a statement by the Saudi-led coalition forces as saying that they intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone launched by the Yemeni Houthi militia towards Khamis Mushait.

(Xinhua)