Western allies pin ship attack on Iran

WASHINGTON－The United States on Sunday blamed Iran for an attack on an oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned company, with a top official warning "an appropriate response" is forthcoming to the deadly incident that occurred off Oman.

Zodiac Maritime, a London-based firm owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, said on Friday that its oil tanker Mercer Street was attacked on Thursday, and two crew members from the United Kingdom and Romania were killed. The attack occurred in the northern part of the Arabian Sea.

Iran on Sunday rejected the allegations, which were first leveled by Israel.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday made clear the US position.

"Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack, which killed two innocent people, using one-way explosive UAVs, a lethal capability it is increasingly employing throughout the region," he said in a statement referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone.

The United Kingdom also joined in the accusations leveled against Iran. Calling it an "unlawful and callous attack", British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said his country and its allies planned a coordinated response over the strike.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett earlier in the day had accused Iran of being behind the deadly attack. "I declare unequivocally: Iran carried out the attack against the ship," Bennett said at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting.

Rebuttal from Teheran

In a news conference on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh dismissed the Israeli allegations that Iran conducted the attack as "baseless".

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has no hesitation in protecting its security and national interests and will respond promptly and strongly to any possible adventure," state television quoted Khatibzadeh as saying on Monday.

It said Khatibzadeh "strongly regretted the baseless accusations".

Israel, the UK and the responding US Navy have yet to show physical evidence from the strike or offer intelligence information on why they blame Teheran, according to The Associated Press.

Xinhua - Agencies