U.S. Convoy Steams Past 2 Ruined Oil Rigs

MANAMA, Bahrain —  A convoy of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers and American warships steamed south today past the two Iranian oil platforms destroyed by U.S. Navy artillery. Iran renewed its threat of reprisal.

Shipping sources in Kuwait reported a loud explosion off the southern coast, near the Mina Saud oil port, but said they did not know the cause.

Iraq said its warplanes attacked and hit “a large naval target,” which usually means a tanker, off Iran’s coast late Tuesday night. There was no confirmation from gulf-based shipping executives.

A senior Iranian diplomat said the response to Monday’s attack on the oil platforms will “not necessarily be limited” to the Persian Gulf region, where Iran and Iraq have been at war since September, 1980.

‘U.S. Will Regret . . . Action’

“Iran has several plans under consideration and will soon act to make the United States pay for its actions,” Ali Ahani, the Foreign Ministry’s director for political affairs, told reporters in West Germany. “The United States will regret this action.”

The convoy is expected to complete the 550-mile trip out of the gulf Thursday.

It is the 12th convoy in the three months since U.S. warships began escorting Kuwaiti-owned tankers, registered in the United States and flying American flags, to protect them from Iranian attack. The convoys have logged more than 7,000 miles.

Iran began regular attacks last year on ships owned by or serving Kuwait. The Iranians accuse Kuwait of receiving arms shipments for its neighbor Iraq and otherwise aiding Iran’s enemy.

2 Vessels Damaged

The reflagged supertanker Bridgeton hit a mine July 24 on the first voyage up the gulf, and the products carrier Sea Isle City was badly damaged by an Iranian missile last week near Kuwait’s main oil terminal.

In reporting on Tuesday night’s explosion, a shipping agent in Kuwait said that he heard of power outages in the area and that an “information blackout” appeared to be in effect.

Kuwaiti officials did not comment on the report. Diplomats and other shipping sources, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, offered theories ranging from a sonic boom to a power plant accident.

Saudi Arabia said there is no basis for early speculation by some shipping executives that an Iranian missile may have landed near its Khafji oil terminal south of Kuwait.

The convoy left Kuwait’s main oil terminal Tuesday.