Iraqi warplanes sank an Iranian naval vessel in the Persian Gulf near the Ardashir oil fields Saturday, bringing to four the number of ships destroyed in as many days, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported.
'A formation of Iraqi airforce attacked an enemy naval target, scoring a direct hit that destroyed and sunk it,' the agency reported, quoting a military spokesman.
All planes returned safely to base, the agency said. As has become customary, no details were released concerning the type or nationality of the vessel sunk.
The agency earlier reported a large oil tanker was set fire Friday near the Iranian port of Beshire while two unidentified Iranian naval targets were sunk Wednesday and Thursday near the Ardashir oil fields.
Two large naval targets destroyed last month by Iraqi forces turned out to be Greek and South Korean cargo vessels.
Gulf sources said the Iraqis apparently were determined to scare foreign ships away from Iranian ports along the northern Gulf. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein declared the area an 'exclusion zone' in an attempt to hurt the Iranian economy, largely dependent on oil income, sources said.
Iraqi warplanes made at least four bombing raids in less than a month on oil installations in Iran's main terminal of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf.
Western industry sources said the damage, coupled with increased shipping insurance fees, have nearly halved Iran's oil output to less than 1 million barrels per day.
Iraqi ground forces Saturday killed 9 Iranians in various military operations on the front line during the past 24 hours, the agency said. Quoting the daily military communique, the agency said four Iranian soldiers were killed in the central sector and five others in the northern sector.
Tehran radio reported Saturday Iraqi shelling killed three Iranian civilians and injured 10 others in the southern port of Abadan. Artillery exchanges continued on all war fronts, the radio report said.
