Israel struck an Iranian vessel stationed in the Red Sea on Tuesday, an anonymous US official told the New York Times. 

The official said Israel had notified the US of its retaliatory strike on the Saviz, which is understood to have been a response to previous attacks on Israeli vessels. 

Iran’s foreign ministry confirmed the incident reported near the Djibouti coast but said the vessel suffered “minor damage with no casualties.”

“The vessel was a civilian ship stationed there to secure the region against pirates. The issue is under investigation,” spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told Reuters on Wednesday.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that the vessel had been offering “logistical support for the Iranian commandos deployed to that region for escorting trade vessels.”

Limpet mines attached to the hull were exploded, according to the report, citing unnamed sources. 

The incident comes as Iran and world powers discussed a potential way back to the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Washington’s “bold decision” to pull out of the accord in 2018, saying the deal “didn’t push war further away; it actually brought it closer”.