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US blames Iran for oil tanker attack in Gulf of Oman amid rising tensions
The US accused Iran of being behind attacks in the Persian Gulf on Thursday and said it would raise the issue at the United Nations after two oil tankers were seriously damaged in an attack.
The explosions, which left one of the oil tankers burning outside the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, marked the most serious incident since the White House warned in early May that Iran was plotting attacks in the region.
Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, said: "Taken as a whole these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran".
During a press conference Mr Pompeo said the US assessment of Iran's responsibility was based on intelligence sources, the weapons used and the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, saying "no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication".
All 44 crew members of the two oil tankers were safely evacuated. The 23 sailors aboard the Norwegian-owned Front Altair were taken to Iran while 21 more on the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous were rescued by a US warship. There did not appear to be any spillage of oil or chemicals.
Thursday’s attack came one month after Iranian forces allegedly used naval mines to blow holes in two oil tankers and two smaller ships off the Emirati port of Fujairah. The US publicly said Iran was behind the attack, and pointed to similarities with yesterday's attack, while Tehran denied responsibility.
Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, said “suspicious doesn’t begin to describe” the incident in Gulf of Oman. He previously suggested without evidence that Israel was staging the attacks to undermine Iran.
Responding to Mr Zarif's comments, Mr Pompeo said: " Foreign Minister Zarif may think this is funny but no one else in the world does."
The explosions at sea came hours before Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, on a diplomatic mission intended to try to ease tensions between Iran and the US. But the Japanese leader’s efforts appeared to bear little fruit.
Ayatollah Khamenei refused to hear any messages from Donald Trump delivered by Mr Abe, the Iranian government said.
The ayatollah also said Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons but “America could not do anything” to stop Tehran if it did decide to pursue a nuclear course.
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Originally Posted by Peterski
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