The escalating military confrontation between the United States and Iran is beginning to spill beyond the Middle East, with Egypt's strategic Mediterranean LNG hub caught in the crossfire after a drone strike hit two ships at the Port of Damietta, including a U.S.-owned floating storage tanker.
The incident followed fresh overnight U.S. strikes on Iran's Revolutionary Guards' command centres and drone facilities after President Donald Trump vowed retaliation for Tehran's ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan.
Reuters reports that British maritime security firm Ambrey said the tanker was hit while docked in Egypt, marking one of the clearest signs yet that the conflict is reaching infrastructure linked to Africa's trade network.
According to the BBC, the drone struck the U.S.-owned floating storage and regasification vessel Energos Winter, with the blaze spreading to the Greek-owned LNG tanker GasLog Salem. Egyptian authorities said the fires were extinguished without casualties and the port resumed normal operations.
President Donald Trump responded saying he had been briefed on the Damietta incident and suggested Iran or its proxies could be responsible, saying: "It's a little more of the same. But it's going to be straightening out."
