Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.
Kuwait's state-run petroleum company says it was an Iranian drone that hit a fully
loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker off Dubai earlier today.
The attack damaged the ship's hull and started a fire.
It occurred in an area where commercial ships wait to exit the Persian Gulf.
No injuries or leaks of oil were reported there.
Oil tankers and container ships are n't the only vessels affected by war in the Middle East
and Iran's threats in the Strait of Hormuz.
Medical supply ships are also having difficulties reaching ports in the region.
NPR's Fatma Tanis says many overseas clinics,
including ones in Asia and Africa, are warning they 're running low on much-needed medications.
Dubai has massive warehouses that stock tons of medical and humanitarian supplies,
like antibiotics, vaccines, first aid kits, and also tents, latrines, dry and canned foods.
Shipments of critical treatments like therapeutic foods for malnourished children in Yemen,
Sudan, Afghanistan have all been stalled.
Aid groups say efforts to find alternative routes have also been hampered.
In many cases, it's too dangerous to go by road.
But also, fuel costs have skyrocketed, which means the price of air shipment has more than doubled.
And all of this, aid groups say, has been compounded by major cuts to global aid funding led by the United States.
Fatma Tanis, NPR News.