THIS is the terrifying moment two oil tankers erupt into flames after being struck by Iranian boats laden with explosives, sending crews scrambling to safety.
Horrifying footage shows thick clouds of black smoke billowing high into the sky above ships carrying Iraqi fuel oil.
Beneath them, a fierce inferno rages as the ships’ precious cargo goes up in flames.
Tehran is blasting oil tankers in the Persian Gulf as it tries to inflict maximum economic pain on the US and punish Trump for his war with skyrocketing prices.
According to reports, one crew member was killed when the tankers came under attack from the Islamic Republic, prompting an urgent response from Iraqi authorities.
According to Farhan al-Fartousi, Iraq‘s director general of the General Company for Ports, the incident occurred while the ships were operating within Iraqi territorial waters.
“Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire,” said al-Fartousi.
Al-Fartousi later confirmed the tankers were targeted by Iranian boats packed with devastating explosives.
Iraqi officials moved quickly to evacuate the crews from both ships as the flames continued to rage.
A further 25 people were safely evacuated from the vessels as emergency teams worked to prevent the blaze from spreading further.
In the aftermath, Iraqi officials confirmed that all oil ports have “completely stopped operations”.
However, all commercial ports will continue to function as normal despite this latest act of aggression.
The incident comes as naval drones were used in at least two attacks on oil tankers since war erupted between the US, Israel and Iran.
According to maritime experts, the use of such tactics represents a dangerous new threat to vessels passing through the vital shipping lanes of the Persian Gulf.
The first sea-based drone attack was on March 1 when a crude oil tanker – the MKD VYOM – was hit off the coast of Oman, killing one crew member.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said an unmanned vessel struck the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker just above the waterline.
The impact triggered an explosion and subsequent fire in the engine room.
Days later, a small vessel struck a Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port.
The company responsible for the vessel said all its 23 crew members were safely recovered.
These suspected Iranian attacks are part of a campaign of economic misery aimed at pushing oil towards nearly $200 a barrel.
To that end, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively ground to a halt as Iran threatens vessels and attacks continue across the waterway.
Only a handful of ships have attempted the crossing in recent days, with many turning off tracking systems or rerouting to avoid the escalating danger.
