Two oil tankers explode – leaving at least 1 dead – after suspected Iranian attack in the Persian Gulf

A deadly maritime incident in the Persian Gulf left one person dead and two large oil tankers burning Wednesday after what investigators suspect was an Iranian assault.

Preliminary findings reported by Reuters indicate that small Iranian boats carrying explosives struck the vessels. The blasts triggered fires that spread rapidly across the ships and the surrounding water.

Authorities say the tankers may have been transporting up to 400,000 barrels of Iraqi crude, according to monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.

All 38 crew members aboard the vessels were rescued following the explosions, said Farhan al Fartousi, head of the Iraqi Ports Company, in comments to CNN. The sailors were foreign nationals working aboard the ships.

Video footage from the scene shows flames spreading across the surface of the water, suggesting that oil is leaking from the damaged tankers. The two ships had been anchored next to each other when the attack occurred.

The vessels involved were the Maltese-flagged Zefyros and the Marshall Islands-flagged Safesea Vishnu, according to reports. The Safesea Vishnu is owned by U.S.-based Safesea Transport Inc., while the Zefyros belongs to a Greek shipping firm. Safesea Transport did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The explosions reportedly occurred inside Iraqi territorial waters near al Faw Port, close to the southern city of Basra, according to Al Jazeera.

Global oil markets have already been on edge because of the conflict involving Iran. Prices have surged this week amid fears that the fighting could disrupt supply routes.

Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil shipments normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway about 600 miles from the site of Wednesday’s tanker fires.

Naval clashes tied to Operation Epic Fury and Iranian retaliation have sharply reduced shipping through the strait. The situation has forced several producers to cut back output.

Iran’s government has threatened to block oil tankers from traveling through the route. In response, the U.S. military reportedly destroyed more than a dozen Iranian vessels believed to be laying naval mines earlier this week.

Donald Trump said his administration may draw from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help stabilize fuel prices if supplies tighten further.

Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency announced that its 31 member countries intend to release a combined 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves to offset disruptions in global supply.