Iranian Boats Intercept Commercial Vessel in Iraqi Waters

Amid regional tensions due to the ongoing war in Gaza for the past three months, a maritime incident occurred in Iraqi territorial waters today, Tuesday, as Iran detained a commercial vessel flying the Tanzanian flag. Reports indicate that five Iranian warboats intercepted the ship upon its entry into Iraqi waters and raised the Iranian flag on it. Further details regarding this incident remain unclear, which could stem from confusion or overlap of territorial waters between the two countries. Notably, some Iraqi boats have previously faced gunfire from the Iranian side in Gulf waters. This incident comes at a sensitive regional time, particularly with the increase in attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi group in recent times.