Page 29 - bon-dia-aruba-20210603

A29
world news Diahuebs 3 Juni 2021

Iran's largest warship catches fire, sinks in Gulf of Oman

(AP) — The largest war- University on the Caspian
ship in the Iranian navy Sea.
caught fire and later sank
Wednesday in the Gulf of Like much of Iran’s major
Oman under unclear cir- military hardware, the Kharg
cumstances, the latest ca- dated back to before Iran’s
lamity to strike one of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
country’s vessels in recent The warship, built in Brit-
years amid tensions with ain and launched in 1977,
the West. entered the Iranian navy in
1984 after lengthy nego-
The blaze began around tiations. That aging military
2:25 a.m. and firefighters equipment has seen fatal ac-
tried to contain it, the Fars cidents as recently as Tues-
news agency reported, but day, when a malfunction in
their efforts failed to save the the ejector seats of an Iranian
207-meter (679-foot) Kharg, F-5 dating back to before the
which was used to resupply revolution killed two pilots
other ships in the fleet at sea while the aircraft was parked
and conduct training exercis- in a hangar.
es. State media reported 400
sailors and trainee cadets on In recent months, the navy
board fled the vessel, with 33 converted a slightly larger
suffering injuries. Oceanic and Atmospheric the Kharg warship follows a Vienna. commercial tanker called
Administration that track series of mysterious explo- the Makran to use it as a
The ship sank near the Ira- fires from space detected a sions that began in 2019 tar- In April, an Iranian ship mobile launch platform for
nian port of Jask, some 1,270 blaze near Jask that started geting commercial ships in called the MV Saviz believed helicopters. The Kharg also
kilometers (790 miles) south- just before the time of the the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. to be a Guard base and an- could launch helicopters on a
east of Tehran on the Gulf of fire reported by Fars. Navy accused Iran of target- chored for years in the Red smaller scale.
Oman near the Strait of Hor- ing the ships with limpet Sea off Yemen was targeted
muz — the narrow mouth Meanwhile, a massive fire mines, timed explosives typi- in an attack suspected to have But the newer vessel likely
of the Persian Gulf. Satellite broke out Wednesday night at cally attached by divers to a been carried out by Israel. It can’t fill the role of the Kharg,
photos from Planet Labs Inc. the oil refinery serving Iran’s vessel’s hull. escalated a yearslong shadow which could handle both re-
analyzed by The Associated capital, sending thick plumes war in the Mideast between fueling and replenishing sup-
Press showed the Kharg off of black smoke over Teh- Iran denied that, though U.S. the two countries, ranging plies of ships at sea, said Mike
Jask with no sign of a fire as ran. It wasn’t immediately Navy footage showed Revo- from strikes in Syria, assaults Connell of the Center for
late as 11 a.m. Tuesday. clear if there were injuries or lutionary Guard members re- on ships and attacks on Iran’s Naval Analysis, an Arling-
what caused the blaze at the moving one unexploded lim- nuclear program. ton, Virginia-based federally
Photos circulated on Iranian Tondgooyan Petrochemical pet mine from a ship. The at- funded nonprofit that works
social media showed sailors Co., though temperatures in tacks came amid heightened State TV and semiofficial for the U.S. government.
wearing life jackets evacuat- the capital reached nearly 40 tensions between the U.S. news agencies on Wednesday
ing the vessel as a fire burned degrees Celsius (104 degrees and Iran after then-President referred to the Kharg, named The Kharg also was seawor-
behind them. Fars published Fahrenheit) and hot summer Donald Trump unilaterally after the island that serves as thy enough to sail through
video of thick, black smoke weather in Iran has caused withdrew America from Teh- the main oil terminal for Iran, the Suez Canal into the Med-
rising from the ship early fires in the past. ran’s nuclear deal with world as a “training ship.” The ves- iterranean Sea and into South
Wednesday morning. Satel- powers. Negotiations on sav- sel often hosted cadets from Asia in the past and could lift
lites from the U.S. National The fire Wednesday aboard ing the accord continue in the Imam Khomeini Naval heavy cargo.

Western Sahara independence chief testifies in Spanish court

(AP) — The leader of a The judge will decide after gered a diplomatic crisis be- Polisario members. missed.
movement seeking inde- his preliminary investigation tween the two countries,
pendence from Moroc- whether there is enough evi- which have been cooperating Ghali’s lawyer, Manuel Ollé, Mariana Delmas, represent-
co testified Tuesday in a dence to bring charges. in fighting terrorism, drug said his client denied the ing the dissident who accus-
Spanish investigation into smuggling and migration charges, which he attributed es Ghali of torture, said the
allegations against him of Ghali heads the Polisario into Europe. to Moroccan efforts to dis- court refused her request for
torture, genocide and oth- Front and the self-declared credit the Polisario Front. He Ghali to be detained while
er crimes. Sahrawi Democratic Arab Rabat has withdrawn its am- said he would file a request the investigation continues.
Republic, based in refugee bassador to Madrid and says for the charges to be dis-
Brahim Ghali appeared be- camps in western Algeria. it won’t fill the position if
fore an investigating magis- Morocco annexed West- Ghali leaves Spain under the
trate at the National Court in ern Sahara in the 1970s, and same cloak of secrecy used
Madrid via videoconference the Polisario Front has long for his arrival and without
from a hospital in Logroño, a wanted to end Moroccan rule answering the allegations he
northern Spanish city where over Western Sahara. committed crimes.
the 71-year old was hospital-
ized last month after falling Ghali checked into the Span- The Spanish magistrate is as-
seriously ill with COVID-19. ish hospital under a false sessing two complaints tar-
identity after arriving in the geting Ghali. One alleging
The magistrate ruled after country by plane with an Al- torture and other crimes was
Ghali’s testimony that he gerian diplomatic passport brought in 2019 by a Sahrawi
should remain free while and with the consent of the activist and Polisario dissi-
the investigation continues, Spanish government. dent. The magistrate has also
saying he has an address re-opened an earlier geno-
and phone number in Spain His presence in Spain has cide probe, launched in 2008,
where he can be contacted. infuriated Morocco and trig- against Ghali and 27 other