WHAT HAPPENED?

Satellite Images Show No Visible Damage to ‘Sabotaged’ Saudi Ships

The kingdom had claimed its ships had suffered “significant damage,” but footage and photos have raised doubts about those allegations.

Saudi Arabia rang alarm bells this week with claims that two of its oil tankers were “sabotaged” and sustained “significant damage”—but now questions are being asked after satellite images showed the vessels have no major visible damage. Details of the alleged tanker attacks—on two Saudi crafts, one Norwegian, and one Emirati—on Sunday are still hazy. One U.S. official told the AP that the U.S. military believes Iran or Iranian allies used explosives to blow holes in the ships. But the scale of the alleged sabotage is far from clear. Video showed one targeted Saudi tanker still afloat without any apparent damage, and satellite images provided to the AP showed no visible major damage from above. The suspicion that Iran was behind the alleged attacks has already stoked tensions in the Middle East and beyond.