Iran denies US claims on Gulf of Oman tanker attacks
DUBAI - Iran dismissed as "baseless" on Friday US accusations that it carried out twin attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Washington would defend its forces and allies in the region, and the United States pressed its case as the UN Security Council met to address the incident - the second in a month in the strategic shipping lane.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on social media on Friday that the US government had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence".
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An oil tanker is seen after it was attacked at the Gulf of Oman, in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran, on Thursday. ISNA via Reuters |
He accused the US of seeking to "sabotage diplomacy" amid a visit to Iran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and "cover up its economic terrorism against Iran" in enforcing crippling unilateral sanctions.
With tensions spiraling between Iran and the United States, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that all sides should exercise restraint following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Nobody wanted to see war in the Gulf and China hoped all sides could resolve differences through dialogue, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
The European Union also called for "maximum restraint" and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf.
Iran has labeled the apparent attacks "suspicious", as its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by Abe to open talks with US President Donald Trump.
Pompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after the US Navy said it had spotted an unexploded limpet mine stuck to the hull of one of the vessels.
The US Central Command released a grainy black-and-white video it said showed an Iranian patrol boat "removing the unexploded limpet mine" from the ship. The two vessels were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours on Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz and traveling 46 kilometers off Iran's southern coast headed toward Asia.
The Norwegian-owned Front Altair ethanol tanker was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, and remained ablaze late on Thursday.
Explosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. The ship was on Friday heading toward the Omani port of Khor Fakkan.
There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline.
AFP - Reuters
(China Daily 06/15/2019 page8)
