Smoke rises from a gas tanker after a drone strike, maritime security firm Ambrey said, at Damietta port, Egypt, July 29, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. (Credit: Social media/Reuters)
BEIRUT — The drone strike that targeted a ship belonging to an American company in the Egyptian port of Damietta on the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday was ordered by Iran, according to two Iranian sources cited by the New York Times.
These two Iranian officials, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the drone attack was intended to show that "global shipping and energy supply could be even more seriously disrupted if Iran decided to escalate the conflict." The sources interviewed did not specify, however, whether the attack was carried out directly by Iran or by an Iran-allied militia in the region, nor did they disclose where the attack originated.
This is the first time since the start of the regional war — launched on Feb. 28 by the United States and Israel's attack on Iran — that an attack has been carried out on Egyptian territory.
The fire caused by the targeting of the stricken vessel, the Energos Winter, then spread to a second ship, the GasLog Salem, which also caught fire. The crews of both vessels were able to be evacuated and the fire was brought under control.
