Two fuel tankers caught fire in Iraqi waters late Wednesday after suspected explosive-laden Iranian boats launched attacks in the Gulf near Iraq, according to officials and media reports.

The vessels targeted were the Marshall Islands–flagged Safesea Vishnu and the Zefyros, both of which had loaded fuel cargo in Iraq, Iraqi port officials told Reuters. One port security source said the Zefyros was registered in Malta.

Rescue teams recovered the body of a foreign crew member from the water, while efforts continued to locate other missing sailors, a port security official said.

According to Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of the General Company for Ports of Iraq, emergency crews rescued 25 crew members from the two ships. Fires were still burning on both vessels as rescue operations continued.

India’s embassy in Baghdad confirmed Thursday that an Indian sailor working aboard a U.S.-owned crude oil tanker was killed in the attack near Basra. The embassy said the remaining 15 Indian crew members from the Safesea Vishnu had been evacuated to a secure location.

In a statement posted on X, the embassy said it remains in close contact with the rescued sailors and Iraqi authorities while providing assistance.

Following the incident, al-Fartousi said oil port operations in Iraq have been temporarily suspended, although commercial port activities are continuing.

Iraqi officials described the incident as sabotage and condemned it as a violation of the country’s sovereignty, noting that the attacks occurred within Iraq’s territorial waters.