"Initial US investigations indicate Iran's role in the attacks on oil tankers"
A US official said on Monday, May 13, that initial results of the US military investigation indicate that Iran or proxies affiliated with the Islamic Republic were involved in the attack on four commercial ships near the waters of the Port of Fujairah.
The Associated Press and Reuters news agencies, along with CBS and the Wall Street Journal, have published similar news, citing American officials, regarding the initial results of the American team's investigation.
An unnamed US official told the Associated Press: "There are holes in these ships that appear to be caused by explosions."
According to the report, a US military delegation has gone to the scene of the accident near the port of Fujairah to conduct an expert investigation.
The Associated Press says that US officials have not provided further details about the incident or said what evidence they have of Iranian involvement in the attack.
Another unnamed US official told Reuters: "This is the kind of thing Iran does."
On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates announced that four commercial ships near the waters of the port of Fujairah were targeted in a "dangerous sabotage operation," but that no casualties were reported.
Hours before confirming these events, Iranian news agencies, citing the Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen network, which is close to the Islamic Republic, reported that "explosions occurred in seven to ten oil tankers in the port of Fujairah."
In this context, the Saudi Oil Minister said on Monday that two of the country's oil tankers were the target of "sabotage operations" in the "United Arab Emirates Special Commercial Zone."
UAE officials say that in addition to the two Saudi tankers, a Norwegian-flagged ship and a Sharjah tanker suffered similar damage in the incident.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman previously expressed regret over the incident involving oil tankers in the port of Fujairah and called for clarification of the details of the incident.
Trump's warning
Previously, American officials had warned that they had received information about new threats from Iran against the United States and its allies, and for this reason, they brought forward the date of dispatching the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to the Persian Gulf and sent several B-52 bombers to the region.
The US Maritime Administration also warned in a statement last Friday about what it described as the possibility of Iran or its proxies attacking commercial ships and oil infrastructure.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Monday: "If they take action, it would be a very bad mistake. They will be hurt very badly."
Reports of attacks on four ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates come as tensions between the United States and Iran have reached a new high in recent weeks, with a war of words between US and Iranian officials escalating following the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Persian Gulf.
Source: Radio Farda
