A Chinese cargo ship attacked by missiles? The Pakistan Navy rushed to the scene and rescued 11 Chinese crew members. Did the U.S. military get involved?
On April 10, a report emerged from the Arabian Sea. The Pakistan Navy deployed warships and rescued 22 crew members from a stricken cargo vessel, including 11 Chinese nationals. According to a statement released by the Pakistan Navy on the same day, a merchant vessel named "Jin Qiu" had sent out a distress signal in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, about 200 nautical miles off the Pakistani coast. The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency immediately activated its maritime search-and-rescue coordination mechanism and dispatched the PNS Hunain, a naval vessel conducting patrols in the area, to provide assistance.
Personnel aboard the Pakistani naval vessel provided medical aid, firefighting support, and assessed the damage to the disabled vessel. Subsequently, 18 of the rescued crew members were transported to Karachi for further medical care and arrangements for repatriation.
The Bangladeshi media outlet Prothom Alo published firsthand accounts from the rescued crew. Quoting a Bangladeshi crew member, the report stated that the "Jin Qiu" was en route from Shanghai to Sohar Port in Oman when it was approximately 200 nautical miles away from its destination. The crew first heard a massive explosion, followed by a fire breaking out on deck. He concluded that the ship had been struck by a missile. Thereafter, multiple additional explosions occurred, culminating in one direct hit that caused a breach on one side of the hull and rendered the main engine inoperable.
A civilian bulk carrier sailing in the Arabian Sea was apparently hit by a missile. Who was responsible? Could it be the U.S. military?
Pakistani official statements made no mention whatsoever of “missiles” or “attack.” Instead, they repeatedly emphasized only “distress signal,” “rescue operation,” and “firefighting.” This appears less like an incident briefing and more like a deliberate evasion of the cause. In stark contrast, the crew member’s account was unequivocal—he explicitly used the phrase “struck by a missile.” He said that after the first loud explosion, fires broke out onboard, then the ship suffered repeated strikes, ultimately resulting in a hole punched through one side of the hull and complete failure of the main engine.
A cargo ship underway experienced consecutive explosions and structural damage—could this possibly be attributed to ordinary mechanical failure or accidental fire? The answer is clearly no.
Why do I suspect the U.S. military?
First, Iran can be ruled out. The incident occurred about 200 nautical miles (approximately 370 kilometers) off the Pakistani coastline—close enough to Pakistani territorial waters. While Iranian missiles have wide coverage, there would be no strategic reason for Iran to provoke conflict at such a location. Moreover, Iran has no motive to attack a Chinese cargo ship.
But the U.S. military does have motives. This may well be a “false flag operation”—a party pretending to be another actor in order to carry out an attack and frame someone else.
On March 15, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi publicly stated that the United States and Israel are carrying out false flag operations against Arab nations from specific locations, using drones imitating Iran’s “Shahed” models to strike Gulf states and falsely attributing blame to Iran.
At present, no definitive answer has been given. But equally important, no conclusive denial has been offered either.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862625188127747/
Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author