Horrifying footage captured thick clouds of black smoke billowing high into the sky above ships carrying Iraqi oil. Beneath the smoke, a fierce inferno raged as the ships’ precious cargo went up in flames.

The SUN (UK) reported that one crew member was killed when the tankers came under attack from the Islamic Republic, prompting an urgent response from Iraqi authorities.

The latest attack occurred while the ships were operating within Iraqi territorial waters, according to Farhan al-Fartousi, Iraq‘s director general of the General Company for Ports.

“Two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were subjected to unidentified attacks inside territorial waters, causing them to catch fire,” said al-Fartousi.

He later confirmed the tankers were targeted by Iranian boats packed with devastating explosives.

Iraqi officials moved quickly to evacuate the crews from both ships as the flames continued to rage. A further 38 people were safely evacuated from the vessels as emergency teams worked to prevent the blaze from spreading further.

In the early hours of Thursday, a fire reportedly broke out on a third container ship off the coast of UAE after an “unknown projectile” hit the vessel.

In the aftermath of the first two strikes, Iraqi officials confirmed that all oil ports had “completely stopped operations”. However, all commercial ports will continue to function as normal despite this latest act of aggression.

The assaults come as naval drones were used in at least two attacks on oil tankers since war erupted between the US, Israel and Iran.

According to maritime experts, the use of such tactics represents a dangerous new threat to vessels passing through the vital shipping lanes of the Persian Gulf.

The first sea-based drone attack was on March 1 when a crude oil tanker – the MKD VYOM – was hit off the coast of Oman, killing one crew member. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said an unmanned vessel struck the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker just above the waterline. The impact triggered an explosion and subsequent fire in the engine room.

Days later, a small vessel struck a Bahamas-flagged crude oil tanker anchored near Iraq’s Khor al Zubair port. The company responsible for the vessel said all its 23 crew members were safely recovered.

These suspected Iranian attacks are part of a campaign of economic misery aimed at pushing oil towards nearly $200 a barrel. To that end, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively ground to a halt as Iran threatens vessels and attacks continue across the waterway. Only a handful of ships have attempted the crossing in recent days, with many turning off tracking systems or rerouting to avoid the escalating danger.

Donald Trump has also said he knows the location of Iranian “sleeper cells” in the US amid fears of a possible revenge attack on American soil. It comes as suspicious intercepted messages suggest that the reeling regime is hatching a plan to activate attackers currently hiding in plain sight.

A terrifying message sent after supreme tyrant Ali Khamenei was killed appears to hold instructions for “covert operatives or sleeper assets”.

The US president said Washington had its eyes on “most” of the regime-linked operatives – before blaming former President Joe Biden’s “stupid open border” for the covert Iranian network.

His comments come amid speculation that Tehran may be planning a large-scale retaliation attack on American soil following the US-Israeli military campaign and assassination of Khamenei.

Donald Trump has said he knows where Iranian sleeper cells are.

Trump has also warned he’s “not finished yet” with Iran – despite boasting the US has already “won” the war. He said America had to “finish the job” against Tehran after fresh hostilities flared, with the regime even daring to demand Don pay them reparations.

Over Wednesday night at least eight people died in Lebanon after a fresh wave of Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah strongholds.

Meanwhile Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian insisted any peace deal must see America pay Tehran.

It comes after Trump declared the war with Iran will end “soon” as there is “nothing left” to attack while the global economy reels from soaring oil prices.

The US president has declared that oil prices will “come down more than we, than anybody understands” – despite Brent crude prices jumping back up to $100 on Thursday after the latest ship blitzes.

The International Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of emergency oil reserves on Wednesday in a bid to calm the global crisis – but these stockpiles may only last days, reports say.