Two explosions hit cargo vessel in Gulf off Iraq, officials say

Two explosions struck a cargo vessel in the Gulf about 40 nautical miles southeast of Iraq's Umm Qasr, one of which was caused by a drone attack, Iraqi officials said on Monday.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the vessel had been hit by some sort of projectile on its starboard side, causing a large explosion.

A second explosion struck the same vessel and was the result of a drone attack, according to an initial assessment, the Iraqi officials told Reuters.

The fire aboard the vessel was later brought under control, they added.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack and no information on the identity of the vessel was available.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Eman Abouhassira and Hatem Maher; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Susan Fenton)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 2:02 PM.