US blames Iran for oil ship strikes
● Secretary of State says US will defend its forces and interests
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for “unprovoked attacks” on two oil tankers near the Persian Gulf.
Dozens of crew members were rescued after the blasts. Downing Street said the UK was prepared to assist in any investigation into the attacks.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran for attacks that damaged two oil tankers near the Persian Gulf.
Mr Pompeo said in Washington the strikes on the ships were part of a “campaign” of “escalating tension” by Iran and a threat to international peace and security.
He said the US would defend its forces and interests in the region, but gave no specifics about any plans and took no questions.
“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,” Mr Pompeo said.
The declaration came after the oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were damaged in suspected attacks, leaving one ablaze and the other adrift and forcing sailors to evacuate.
An official spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May told a Westminster briefing: “Attacks on civilian vessels like these are completely unacceptable. We are in contact with international partners and are ready to assist in any rescue effort or investigation.”
The US Navy, which rushed in to assist the stricken vessels, and the ship’s owners offered no immediate explanation on what weapon caused the damage to the MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, though all believed the ships had been targeted in an attack.
The Front Altair burned for hours afterward, charring half of one of the vessel’s sides and sending thick black smoke into the sky.
Last month, the US alleged that Iran used limpet mines to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. Iran denied being involved, but the incidents came as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen also launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on oil infrastructure.
Meanwhile in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned while Tehran does not seek nuclear weapons, “America could not do anything” to stop Iran if it did. The comments came during a one-on-one meeting capping Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s high-stakes visit to Tehran that sought to ease Iran-us tensions, suggesting the efforts had failed.
Benchmark Brent crude spiked at one point by as much 4 per cent in trading following the suspected attack to more than $62 (£49) a barrel, highlighting how crucial the area remains to global energy supplies. A third of all oil traded by sea passes through the strait, which is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
Cmdr Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said the US Navy was assisting the two vessels that he described as being hit in a “reported attack”. He did not say how the ships were attacked or who was suspected of being behind the assault. The American destroyer USS Bainbridge was sent to assist, he said.
The MT Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker, immediately caught fire after the suspected attack.
The firm that operates the Front Altair said an explosion was the cause of the fire onboard. Its crew of 23 is safe after being evacuated by the nearby Hyundai Dubai vessel, it said.
BSM Ship Management said the Kokuka Courageous sustained hull damage and 21 sailors had been evacuated, with one sustaining minor injuries.
Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers had been transferred to an Iranian port in the southern province of Hormozgan.
The Front Altair came from Ruwais in the UAE, a loading point for the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. The vessel carried naphtha, a flammable hydrocarbon. The Kokuka Courageous, came from Mesaieed, Qatar, and Jubail, Saudi Arabia, carrying methanol – a chemical compound.