Damaged tankers reach safe waters after attacks

DUBAI - Two damaged tankers arrived safely on Sunday at locations off the Emirati coast after they were rocked by explosions in Gulf waters on Thursday.

The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday when it came under attack along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair - the second assault in a month in the strategic shipping lane.

Thursday's attacks took place southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor connecting the energy-rich states of the Middle East to the global market.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been on an unprecedented visit to the Iranian capital in a bid to defuse tensions between the United States and the Islamic republic when the attacks took place.

Washington immediately blamed Teheran for the attack, followed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also has concluded that responsibility "almost certainly" lies with Iran and warned on Saturday there was a "great risk" of escalation in the region.

Teheran has denied being involved and accused the US of promoting an "Iranophobic" campaign against it.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday dismissed the US claim as "baseless" and said Washington had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran - (without) a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence".

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday vowed the US would ensure the strait remains open, without detailing what options Washington is considering to protect shipping.

"What you should assume is we are going to guarantee freedom of navigation throughout the strait," he said in a Fox News television interview.

Earlier on Sunday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that Washington could have been behind the "suspicious" tanker attacks, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The attacks "seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran, considering that (the US) has not achieved any results from them", he told lawmakers.

Russia on Sunday warned against making "baseless accusations" over the attacks.

"Such incidents can undermine the foundations of the world economy," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for restraint and a lowering of tensions in the Middle East.

"I invite everyone to use the instruments of diplomacy to resolve the complex problems of the conflicts in the Middle East," he said during a visit to a city in central Italy.

"I renew a heartfelt appeal to the international community to make every possible effort to favor dialogue and peace," he said after saying a Mass for several thousand people.

The Japanese ship's Singapore-based BSM Ship Management said in a statement on Sunday that it had "arrived safely at the designated anchorage" and that its crew were "safe and well".

The other ship, the Front Altair, was under safe tow by tug boats toward an area off the coast of the eastern Emirati port of Fujairah.

"First inspections are under way and no hot spots have been identified following the fire," while all crew members were in Dubai, the vessel's owners said on Sunday.

Afp - Ap - Reuters

(China Daily 06/18/2019 page12)