New report from Human Rights Watch claims Iran deliberately attacked civilian commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz

BEIRUT: A fresh report from the Human Rights Watch on Tuesday claimed that the Iranian forces have appeared to deliberately target at least two civilian commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, which would amount to war crimes.

The report cited findings from the International Maritime Organisation, which noted that starting March 1, Iranian forces reportedly began attacking commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz in response to US and Israeli attacks on Iran. It further noted that on March 11, Ebrahim Zofaghari, a spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces, warned in a speech that Iran would not allow “one litre of oil” to pass via the Strait of Hormuz if the attacks against Iran continue to take place by the United States and Israel.

Footage from a few days ago shows the IRGC Navy attacking a US fuel tanker in the Persian Gulf, destroying it and igniting a massive fire.

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“Human Rights Watch documented the apparent deliberate targeting of two commercial ships, the Safesea Vishnu and the Mayuree Naree, on March 11 through statements made by Iranian authorities claiming these attacks; photographs and videos posted online of the direct aftermath of the attacks and, in the case of the Safesea Vishnu, the apparent moment of attack; and data gathered by the IMO”, it said in the statement.

It cited the IMO and further noted that between March 1 and 17, the IMO confirmed 17 incidents of damage to commercial vessels from 16 apparent attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. It also reported that seven seafarers and one shipyard worker had been killed, four seafarers were missing, and ten people were injured, five severely.

An IMO representative told Human Rights Watch that the organization receives data from authorities such as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC), and the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO). It said that the organization directly verifies information it receives with the vessels’ flag states to document attacks. It said the organization was unable to confirm who was responsible for the 16 attacks. However, the IMO Council adopted a decision on March 19 in which they “strongly condemned the threats and attacks against vessels and purported closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Human Rights Watch identified all the vessels included by the IMO in vessel tracking websites and was able to corroborate that they were civilian commercial vessels with civilian crews. In some cases, Human Rights Watch identified their location at the time of the attack. In addition to corroborating attacks on the Safesea Vishnu and Mayuree Naree, researchers corroborated attacks on two other vessels — Skylight and Safeen Prestige — through photographs and videos posted online as well as online statements made by government and military entities, along with a third vessel — the MKD Vyom — by statements alone. In these three cases, Human Rights Watch could not confirm who was responsible for the attacks.

Human Rights Watch wrote to Iranian authorities on March 18 seeking clarification about the attacks but did not receive a response. “Iranian authorities, in statements they made pertaining to the two ships they claimed to have targeted — the Safesea Vishnu and Mayuree Naree — did not state that the vessels were military objects, nor did they present any evidence to demonstrate that anything on board the ships could have constituted military objects”, the Human Rights Watch said.

“Under international humanitarian law, it is forbidden in any circumstance to carry out direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects, and warring parties are obligated to take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians and civilian objects. Civilian vessels with commercial ties to the United States or Israel remain civilian objects. Warring parties must take all necessary action to verify that targets are military objectives. A person who commits serious violations of the laws of war with criminal intent–that is, intentionally or recklessly–may be prosecuted for war crimes. Individuals may also be held criminally liable for assisting in, facilitating, aiding, or abetting a war crime”, the statement further noted.

The Human Rights Watch mentioned that on March 12, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s official state news agency, published a statement from the IRGC that confirmed that the Safesea Vishnu “had been hit in the northern Persian Gulf after failing to comply with and ignoring the warnings of the IRGC Navy.”

“One of the crew members was killed in the attack, the IMO said. It also reported that another oil tanker, the Zefyros, caught fire in the same incident. The two vessels were next to each other within Iraqi territorial waters approximately 50 nautical miles southeast of Basra, according to measurements taken from vessel-tracking websites”, the statement added.

An Indian national had lost his life in the attack on Safesea Vishnu. The oil tanker Safesea Vishnu was attacked off Khor Al Zubair port near Basra in Iraq on March 9 inside Iraq’s territorial waters. In a press conference on March 13, Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) at the Ministry of External Affairs, India, had informed that one crew member had died and the other 5 crew members had been safely evacuated and lodged in a hotel in Basra.

Human Rights Watch analyzed three videos posted to X by different accounts on March 12, with the earliest posted at 12:32 a.m. One of the videos, filmed from a nearby vessel, shows two large explosions on the Safesea Vishnu, seconds apart. Those filming from the nearby vessel claim to be the IRGC Navy and say that they have destroyed a US ship in the Persian Gulf. The Safesea Vishnu engulfed in flames.

“This video supports accounts by Reuters from the US owner and operator of the vessel that two explosive-laden, unmanned boats rammed the vessel. Another video shows firefighters spraying the Safesea Vishnu with water from a nearby boat.”

The New York Times reported that, according to Iraq’s oil export authority, “The two vessels were used by Iraq for its own oil transport.” The news outlet added that “Senior Iraqi officials said that one of the vessels, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was owned by an American company.”

On the same day, three other vessels — One Majesty, a Japanese-flagged container vessel, and two bulk carriers, the Marshall Islands-flagged Star Gwyneth and the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree — were attacked in the strait, the IMO said as per the Human Rights Watch.

The Royal Thai Navy spokesperson said in a statement that the navy had received an initial report that “two projectiles of unknown origin” had struck the Mayuree Naree as it sailed into the Strait of Hormuz after departing from the UAE. The statement said that the Omani navy had rescued 20 of the vessel’s 23 crew members, which the Omani Maritime Security Center confirmed. On March 18, the Royal Thai Navy reported that the ship had moved from Omani to Iranian territorial waters. Three crew members reportedly remain on board the seriously damaged vessel.

The Human Rights Watch further noted that the day the three ships were reportedly attacked, Tasnim News, affiliated with the IRGC, posted a statement on its Telegram channel at 3:36 p.m. stating that the Mayuree Naree was “shelled by Iranian fighters hours ago after ignoring the warnings of the IRGC Navy and illegally insisting on passing through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC naval forces, posted on X the same day at 3:50 p.m. local time that the crew of the Mayuree Naree had “ignored [Iranian authorities’] warnings and intended to pass through the strait but was caught.” He added that “[a]ny vessel intending to pass [the Strait of Hormuz] must obtain permission from #Iran.”

As per the Human Rights Watch, both statements included claims that Iranian forces had also attacked another ship, the Express Rome, a ship not listed by the IMO as having been attacked. On March 19, Human Rights Watch received confirmation from Danaos Shipping, the owners of Express Rome, that the ship had not been hit or compromised in any way and that its crew is safe.

According to media reports from March 20, a Nepali Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated that Iranian authorities had “taken one Nepali into custody from the Strait of Hormuz.”

Human Rights Watch added that while it was unable to confirm who was responsible for the other 14 attacks the IMO documented, however, Iranian authorities have made several statements in which they have demonstrated a clear intention to attack ships, including civilian ships, that attempt to pass through the strait. (ANI)