US Initial Investigations Indicate Iran’s Role in Attack on Oil Tankers

An American official said on Monday, May 13, that preliminary results of investigations by the U.S. military indicate that Iran or proxy groups affiliated with the Islamic Republic were involved in the attack on four commercial vessels near Fujairah port waters.

News agencies Associated Press and Reuters, along with CBS and Wall Street Journal, have published similar reports citing American officials regarding the preliminary findings of the U.S. military investigation.

An unnamed American official told Associated Press: “Holes have been created in these vessels that appear to have resulted from explosions.”

According to the report, a U.S. military team went to the site of the incident near Fujairah port to conduct expert investigations.

Associated Press says American officials have not provided further details about the incident and have not stated what evidence and documentation they have regarding Iran’s involvement in the attack.

Another unnamed American official told Reuters: “This is the type of action Iran carries out.”

On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates announced that four commercial vessels near Fujairah port waters were targeted in “dangerous sabotage operations,” which did not result in casualties.

Hours before confirmation of these events, Iranian news agencies reported, citing the Arabic-language network “Al-Mayadeen,” which is close to the Islamic Republic, that “explosions occurred in seven to ten oil tankers at Fujairah port.”

In this regard, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister said on Monday that two of the country’s oil tankers in the “UAE special commercial zone” were targeted in “sabotage operations.”

UAE officials say that in addition to the two Saudi oil tankers, a Norwegian-flagged vessel and a Sharjah tanker suffered similar damage in this incident.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson previously expressed regret over the incident involving oil tankers at Fujairah port and called for clarification of the dimensions of the matter.

Trump’s Warning

Earlier, American officials had warned that they received information about new threats from Iran against America and its allies, and for this reason accelerated the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf and sent several B-52 bombers to the region.

The U.S. Maritime Administration also warned last Friday in a statement about what has been described as the possibility of Iranian attacks or attacks by its proxy groups on commercial vessels and oil infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the U.S. president, warned Iran on Monday: “If they do anything, it will be a very bad mistake. They will suffer greatly.”

Reports about the attack on four vessels off the UAE coast were published as tensions between the U.S. and Iran have entered a new phase in recent weeks. Following the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier to the Persian Gulf region, verbal confrontation between American and Iranian officials has intensified.

Source: Radio Farda