Unsafe Passage

The last voyage of the Antigoni

The 22,000-ton Greek freighter Antigoni was steaming through the Persian Gulf toward the Iranian port of Bandar-Khomeini when members of the crew saw a silver streak glinting above the waves. The next instant, a missile slammed into the ship's stern about 5 ft. above the water line, and the 15 crewmen scrambled into the lifeboat. "We were 500 meters away when there was a second explosion," said First Mate George Galakopoulos. "It cut the ship in two. There was so much smoke I couldn't see anything." The crew was saved, but the Antigoni and its cargo of steel plate from Japan sank quickly.

Iraq, which took responsibility for the attack, also declared that six other "enemy" craft were hit. Iran charged that the Antigoni was destroyed by a French-manufactured Exocet missile, the same weapon used by Argentina with devastating effect against British ships during the 1982 Falklands war. That additional charge remains unproved, but there can be no doubt that the sinking of the Antigoni represented a dangerous escalation in the three-year war between Iran and Iraq for control of the northern tip of the gulf.

Iraq began putting new pressure on Iran in October, when the Baghdad government took delivery from France of five Exocet-equipped Super Etendard fighter-bombers. The Iraqis then said they had mined approaches to Bandar-Khomeini. Iraq also threatened to bomb a nearby petrochemical plant, as well as an Iranian oil-exporting facility in the gulf. In an attempt to cut off Iran's vital resources, the Iraqis have fired on numerous other foreign freighters in recent weeks.

In response, Iran now pays shippers up to 50% more than the normal commission rates to serve its ports, and crews earn hefty bonuses for the hazardous duty. Special security measures are also in force. Ships en route to Bandar-Khomeini, deep within the war zone, have been ordered to travel only in convoys. Lifeboats are kept half lowered, and special teams of Iranian soldiers armed with antiaircraft weapons stand guard on deck. But those safeguards are of little help against guided-missile attacks. In addition to the sophisticated Exocet, Iraq has an arsenal of French-made AS. 11 and AS. 12 missiles that are more than a match for freighter hulls.

Meanwhile, Iran is facing unexpected pressure from another quarter. The Soviet Union has lately voiced strong support in Pravda for the Iraqis, accusing the Iranians of resisting a negotiated settlement. "Tehran's intention to continue the war until 'victory is won' is obviously accompanied by chauvinistic sentiments," said Pravda. In an odd partnership with strongly conservative gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, the Soviets have begun to pressure their close ally Syria to reduce its support of Iran. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.