Admiral Naveed Ashraf makes historic IISS address as UK visit deepens Pakistan-Britain defence ties

A drone strike caused the fire that engulfed two gas vessels at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta, the Egyptian cabinet confirmed Thursday, ending speculation over whether the blaze that broke out a day earlier was an accident or an attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike, which occurred close to the Suez Canal, now serving as the last safe route for Saudi oil shipments reaching global markets. Egyptian authorities said they are continuing their investigation and taking steps to safeguard national security. British maritime security firm Ambrey said Wednesday that a drone had struck a US owned gas storage tanker at the port, an early assessment that raised fears the wider regional conflict could spread further. Three trading sources familiar with the incident said the drone hit the floating storage vessel Energos Winter, sparking a fire that then spread to a second ship, Gaslog Salem. According to maritime risk group Vanguard, the Energos Winter was struck on its starboard side, and the resulting fire was later extinguished. Egypt’s petroleum ministry said firefighting and security teams responded immediately and that the incident caused no injuries or fatalities. Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi traveled to the port to personally oversee the emergency response, according to the ministry. The strike came shortly after Iran launched a missile attack targeting US forces in Jordan, prompting Washington and Saudi Arabia to carry out strikes against Iran backed paramilitary groups in Iraq. President Donald Trump warned of retaliation against Iran, while Yemen’s Houthi movement declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, marking what appears to be the widest expansion of the conflict since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran in February. The Energos Winter is a floating storage and regasification unit owned by the US based firm Energos Infrastructure. Its technical, safety and commercial operations are managed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a Singapore based subsidiary of the Norwegian company Wilhelmsen Group. In a first for the five month war, Saudi Arabia publicly joined US forces in striking Iran aligned groups in eastern Iraq on Wednesday, responding to drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that were launched from Iraqi territory. Following the joint operation, Saudi Arabia’s defense minister met with US Vice President JD Vance in Washington to urge the Trump administration against further escalation, according to two people familiar with the meeting. The conflict began in February when the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran that Trump initially said would last only a few weeks. A temporary ceasefire reached in June collapsed amid renewed fighting centered on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that Iran now claims to control. The latest strikes in Iraq and Egypt threaten to pull additional countries into the conflict, coming after Yemen’s Houthi forces declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia last week, putting the alternative Red Sea shipping route for Saudi oil bound for Asia at risk. Attacks on vessels by Houthi fighters have already prompted London’s marine insurance market to expand its high risk zone in the Red Sea to cover a larger stretch of coastline near Saudi ports. Trump said the United States would respond forcefully to Iran’s missile attack on American forces, while maintaining that Washington remains open to a negotiated peace deal to end a war that has unsettled global energy and financial markets. Oil prices jumped more than eight percent on Wednesday before easing slightly on Thursday amid volatile trading, with benchmark Brent crude hovering just under 90 dollars a barrel. Iran said Wednesday that it had struck three tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz along what it called an unauthorized route. Even so, a QatarEnergy controlled liquefied natural gas tanker exited the strait overnight, the first such vessel tracked leaving the waterway since July 11. Iran’s semi official Fars news agency reported that Tehran had specifically authorized the tanker’s passage. Oman has presented Iran with a Gulf backed proposal to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, including a system of voluntary usage fees, according to sources familiar with the talks. Iran rejected that proposal on Wednesday, though foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said discussions with Oman over the strait’s management are continuing, according to the semi official ILNA news agency. Separately, sources familiar with the matter said Iran is expected to receive its first shipment within weeks of up to 400 Chinese made shoulder fired air defense missile launchers, part of an effort to shore up gaps in its ability to protect military sites and strategic infrastructure exposed during the war. Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while China’s foreign ministry denied the report. The expanding pattern of strikes across Iraq, Egypt and the Red Sea underscores how a conflict initially centered on Iran has increasingly drawn in neighboring states and global shipping lanes, complicating efforts by mediators to contain the fighting before it further disrupts international energy markets.