Shafaq News- Baghdad

The tanker struck in Iraqi waters on Wednesday is a fuel-oil storage vessel chartered by a state oil firm and suffered only minor hull damage in the incident, Iraq's Oil Ministry said.

The ministry said the tanker, leased by the state-run Iraqi Oil Tankers Company, was struck by an unidentified object or weapon while inside Iraqi territorial waters, causing minor damage to its hull.

The Ministry of Transport said earlier that the Panama-flagged tanker was struck at 5:30 a.m. and was isolated and placed under watch while teams checked the surrounding water for any leak or further damage.