Iranian drone attack caused US tanker blast at Egyptian port - report

Maritime security firm Ambrey reported on Wednesday that a drone struck a US-owned gas storage vessel at Damietta port.

ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

JULY 30, 2026 08:36

Updated: JULY 30, 2026 10:46

The blast aboard a US tanker at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday resulted from an Iranian drone strike, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing two anonymous Iranian sources.

The sources did not name the specific group behind the launch, only confirming it originated from Iran. Egypt's Cabinet later released a statement verifying the drone involvement and noting that no group had claimed the act.

Maritime security firm Ambrey stated on Wednesday that a drone struck a US-owned gas storage tanker at the Damietta port.

The strike targeted the floating storage tanker Energos Winter and sparked a fire that reached a second ship, Gaslog Salem, according to three trading sources with knowledge of the event.

Blast comes after Iranian missile strike on US forces and American response

The event took place soon after Iran launched a missile attack on US forces in Jordan, prompting Washington and Saudi Arabia to target Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq.

Reuters confirmed the site through video footage showing port infrastructure and storage tanks, along with ship-tracking data aligned to archive and satellite images.

Egypt's petroleum ministry issued a statement acknowledging a fire at the port without referencing a drone or assigning a cause, while confirming no injuries or deaths occurred.

Egyptian Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi visited the location to direct response operations. The statement noted that emergency and technical teams continued their work to manage the situation and evaluate damage.

US President Donald Trump received a briefing on the incident on Wednesday. He told reporters in the Oval Office that the explosion was more of the same and that the US would respond forcefully.

Reuters and Amit Avitan contributed to this report.