Dubai: The US military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene.
The US Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze on Thursday by an explosion. The ships’ operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.
Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an “unfounded claim” in the US’ “Iranophobic campaign”. However, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the “Tanker War”, when the US Navy escorted ships through the region.
The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the US military’s Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous. A Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt Bill Urban said.
“The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,” Urban said. “The US has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.” Iran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the UN. “The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier told media the US assessment of Iran’s role was based in part on intelligence, and the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region the US blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time.
“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,” Pompeo said. He didn’t elaborate and took no questions. Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday’s incidents, given that Japanese PM Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
Pompeo noted Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran “rejected” the overture. “The supreme leader’s government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency,” Pompeo added.
At the UN, the Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late on Thursday at the request of the US but took no action. Meanwhile, 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.
