US military helps Israeli-run tanker attack Oman

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DUBAI, July 31 (Reuters) – The US Navy is assisting an Israeli-controlled tanker attacked off the coast of Oman with two crew members killed, the US military said on Saturday, adding that the ship was most likely hit by a drone strike.

Mercer Street, a Japanese Liberian-flagged ship that was attacked Thursday, is being escorted by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

“US Navy explosives experts are on board to ensure there is no additional danger to the crew and are ready to support an investigation into the attack,” Central Command said, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia.

“The initial indications clearly indicate a UAV-style (drone) attack,” he added.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Friday accused Iran of being responsible for the attack, which killed a Briton and a Romanian, and said it deserved a harsh response. There was no immediate official reaction from Iran to the accusation of being responsible.

Lapid spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the incident on Saturday night, he said on Twitter.

“We are working together against Iranian terrorism, which poses a threat to all of us, by formulating a real and effective international response,” Lapid said.

Lapid added on Twitter: Iran “repeatedly misunderstands our commitment to protect ourselves and our interests.”

US and European sources familiar with the intelligence reports said on Friday that Iran was their prime suspect for the incident. Read more

Al Alam TV, the Iranian government’s Arabic-language television network, cited unnamed sources as saying the attack on the ship was a response to an alleged and unspecified Israeli attack on Dabaa airport in Syria.

The vessel is managed by the Israeli company Zodiac Maritime. The company said on Friday the ship was sailing under the control of its crew and its own forces to a safe location with a US naval escort.

Iran and Israel have exchanged accusations of reciprocal attacks on ships in recent months.

Tensions have grown in the Gulf region since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the 2015 Tehran nuclear deal with The big powers.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides information on maritime safety, said the ship was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqm when it been attacked.

According to Refinitiv Ship Tracking, the midsize tanker was heading to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub in Tel Aviv Editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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