Israel Shares Intel With US, UK to Blame Iran For Attack on 'Mercer Street' Tanker, Report Claims
01:17 GMT 01.08.2021 (Updated: 17:24 GMT 15.01.2023)
© REUTERS / U.S. NAVY
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An explosion hit the Israeli-managed oil tanker Mercer Street on Thursday in the waters of the Arabian Sea, killing two crew members. The tanker was reportedly sailing without cargo, from Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates, and at the time of the incident it was about 185 miles off the coast of Oman. Israel immediately blamed Iran for the attack.
Israel provided intelligence information to the US and the UK to facilitate an investigation into the recently-attacked Japanese oil tanker Mercer Street, The Times of Israel reported on Saturday.
The report claimed the data contained evidence that Iran is responsible for the attack, as Israel works to increase international pressure on the Islamic Republic.
Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid said on Saturday that he spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding a joint response to the attack.
"I spoke tonight with the Secretary of State @SecBlinken on the attack on the ship in the Gulf of Oman. We are working together against Iranian terrorism, which poses a threat to all of us by formulating a real and effective international response", Lapid tweeted.
The attack took place on Thursday night, as the ship transited the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman. Two members of the crew, citizens of Romania and the UK, died in the explosion.
The Liberia-flagged oil tanker was said to be owned by a Japanese company and operated by the London-based firm Zodiac Maritime, which is reportedly owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 board an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, attached to the "Golden Falcons" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12, are seen on the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in response to a call for assistance from the Mercer Street, a Japanese-owned Liberian-flagged tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime, in the Arabian Sea July 30, 2021. Picture taken July 30, 2021. U.S.
© REUTERS / U.S. NAVY
Currently, an investigation is said to be ongoing, with assistance from US and British officials. Washington noted that it is not known who carried out the attack, but the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that the attack most likely was carried out by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). According to The New York Times, investigators have explored the ship and found what they claim is "clear visual evidence that [an] attack occurred" with the participation of "Iranian drones".
Israel rushed to accuse Iran of being behind the attack, although the official investigation has only begun. So far, there has been no official response from Iran.
Meanwhile, sources told Al Alam TV, an Iranian state-run Arabic-language television network, that the attack was retribution for Israel's latest attack on an airport in Syria.
In addition, Israel's Channel 13 claimed the alleged attack by Iran could be a response to a hacker attack that damaged Iran's railway system earlier this month. Hackers concocted fake messages about schedule delays, suggesting confused passengers call a hotline for more information. The phone number was revealed to have been that of the office of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
