Four oil tankers were attacked yesterday off the coast of the UAE in the Persian Gulf and now the US is saying that Iran was behind the attacks:
MORE: CBS News has learned U.S. investigators have determined that Iran or groups backed by Iran were behind attacks on four tankers owned by U.S. allies off the coast of the United Arab Emirates; one was seen with large dent in its stern. https://t.co/PaIUKIj9lh pic.twitter.com/g7zKXbHF2H
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) May 13, 2019
Here’s the latest from Reuters:
Iran is a leading candidate for having carried out attacks on four tankers near the United Arab Emirates but the United States does not have conclusive proof Tehran was behind them, a U.S. official familiar with American intelligence said on Monday.
“This is what Iran does … The sort of thing you could see Iran doing … It fits their M.O. (modus operandi),” said the official on condition of anonymity, saying the most obvious explanation for Iran’s statements distancing itself from the incident was that Tehran was “trying to muddy the waters.”
And more on the actual attacks:
Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.
The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.
The UAE on Monday identified the vessels as two crude oil tankers owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri, a UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge and a Norwegian-registered oil products tanker.
The owner of the Norwegian vessel, Thome Ship Management, said the vessel was “struck by an unknown object”. Footage seen by Reuters showed a hole in the hull at the waterline with the metal torn open inwards.
A Reuters witness said divers were inspecting the ships. The UAE’s state news agency said Fujairah port was operating normally.
Meanwhile, Trump is sending stern warnings to Iran saying they will “suffer greatly” if “they do anything”: