DUBAI: A British and a Romanian were killed on Thursday in an attack off the coast of an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker OmanIsrael’s foreign minister accused Iran and said it deserved a harsh response, the company said at an event on Friday.
There were different explanations for what happened with Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship, with the Israeli-owned Zodiac describing the incident as a “suspicious theft” and Oman Maritime Security. Happened as an accident in the center. Outside Omani territorial waters.
Iran and Israel have traded allegations of attacking each other’s ships in recent months, and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he had informed the UK foreign secretary of the need for a strong response to the incident. Two crew members, one British and the other Romanian, were killed.
In a statement, Lapid said, “Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms all of us. The world must not remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also threatens freedom of shipping.” does harm.”
US and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said Iran was their prime suspect for the incident, which a US defense official said appeared to have been done by drone, but insisted their governments were seeking conclusive evidence. Was.
The Iranian government’s Arabic-language television network Al Alam TV, citing unnamed sources, said the attack on the ship was in response to a suspected, unspecified Israeli attack on Daba airport in Syria.
There was no immediate official reaction from Iran on allegations that it may be responsible.
Israeli news website Ynet said the assessment in Israel was that there had been two attacks on the ship, several hours apart. The first suffered no damage, and the second hit the bridge, causing casualties.
It quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying: “Israel will find it difficult to turn a blind eye to this attack”.
Tensions in the Gulf have risen since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018, when then-US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.
The United States considers the possibility of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies, a direct threat to its ally Israel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides maritime security information, said the attack was not piracy. It is said that the ship was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqam when it was attacked.
London-based Zodiac, which is controlled by Israeli magnate Eyal Ofer, whose father Sammy was Israel’s most famous shipowner, said the ship was sailing under the control of its crew and in a safe location with US Navy escort. had its power.
According to Refinitiv Ship Tracking, the medium-sized tanker was on its way from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Fujairah, a bunkering port and oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates.
There were different explanations for what happened with Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship, with the Israeli-owned Zodiac describing the incident as a “suspicious theft” and Oman Maritime Security. Happened as an accident in the center. Outside Omani territorial waters.
Iran and Israel have traded allegations of attacking each other’s ships in recent months, and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he had informed the UK foreign secretary of the need for a strong response to the incident. Two crew members, one British and the other Romanian, were killed.
In a statement, Lapid said, “Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms all of us. The world must not remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also threatens freedom of shipping.” does harm.”
US and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said Iran was their prime suspect for the incident, which a US defense official said appeared to have been done by drone, but insisted their governments were seeking conclusive evidence. Was.
The Iranian government’s Arabic-language television network Al Alam TV, citing unnamed sources, said the attack on the ship was in response to a suspected, unspecified Israeli attack on Daba airport in Syria.
There was no immediate official reaction from Iran on allegations that it may be responsible.
Israeli news website Ynet said the assessment in Israel was that there had been two attacks on the ship, several hours apart. The first suffered no damage, and the second hit the bridge, causing casualties.
It quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying: “Israel will find it difficult to turn a blind eye to this attack”.
Tensions in the Gulf have risen since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018, when then-US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.
The United States considers the possibility of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies, a direct threat to its ally Israel.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides maritime security information, said the attack was not piracy. It is said that the ship was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqam when it was attacked.
London-based Zodiac, which is controlled by Israeli magnate Eyal Ofer, whose father Sammy was Israel’s most famous shipowner, said the ship was sailing under the control of its crew and in a safe location with US Navy escort. had its power.
According to Refinitiv Ship Tracking, the medium-sized tanker was on its way from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Fujairah, a bunkering port and oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates.
.