Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US, Iran Exchange Accusations in Wake of Attacks on Oil Tankers
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 14, 2019

Share

The U.S. military released a video Friday it said showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.  Iran’s president, meanwhile, assailed the Trump administration, accusing it of radicalizing the situation in the Mideast and pursuing an aggressive policy against his country.

The Japanese operator of one of the two attacked oil tankers said sailors aboard its vessel saw “flying objects” just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn’t damaged by mines.
Iran denied any role in Thursday’s apparent attacks, which have roiled the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unraveling nuclear deal with world powers. Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad, in a tweet Friday, called the accusations part of a plot by hawkish politicians in the U.S. and the region.
In addition, the Japanese operator of one of the two attacked oil tankers said sailors aboard its vessel saw “flying objects” just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn’t damaged by mines.
At a news conference in Tokyo, Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo Co, said he believed the flying objects seen by the sailors could be bullets, and denied the possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damage was above the ship’s waterline. He called reports of mine attack “false.”

‘Iran Did Do It,’ Trump Says

Katada said the crew members spotted an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether that was before or after the attacks.
Four other oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered similar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-allied rebels from Yemen have struck U.S. ally Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles.
Iran accused Washington of waging an “Iranophobic campaign” against it, while U.S. President Donald Trump countered that the country was “a nation of terror.”
“Iran did do it,” he said of the attack, in remarks Friday morning to “Fox & Friends.”

The black-and-white U.S. video shows a small boat coming alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous hours after its crew abandoned ship, said Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command. U.S. officials separately shared photos of the vessel, which showed what they described as a conical limpet mine attached to its side.
In the video, the small boat pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous at 4:10 p.m. Thursday. A member of the crew reaches up and grabs along where the attached object could be seen in the photo. They then sail away. American officials said the boat belonged to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard

Iran’s President: U.S. Undermining Stability in Region, World

Limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to a ship’s hull, are designed to disable a vessel without sinking it.
Analysts say Iran, if involved, wouldn’t want investigators to find an unexploded mine because they could check its serial numbers and other attributes to trace it.
On Friday, Iranian foreign minister said in a tweet that the United States “immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran-w/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence.”
He said the United States was trying to cover up economic terrorism, referring to sanctions the U.S. re-imposed on Iran.

 
On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized the United States for walking out of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposing sanctions on Tehran.
Rouhani says the U.S. is “using all opportunities for radicalizing the situation, which undermines the stability not only in our region but in the whole world.”
He added that America has been “carrying out an aggressive policy and posing a serious threat to regional stability.”
Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers and recently imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply into its oil exports. While Iran maintains it has nothing to do with the recent attacks, its leaders repeatedly have threatened to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

DON'T MISS

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

DON'T MISS

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

DON'T MISS

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

DON'T MISS

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

DON'T MISS

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

DON'T MISS

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

UP NEXT

UN May Cut Staff by 20%, Internal Memo Says

UP NEXT

Netanyahu Says Israel Accepts Witkoff’s New Gaza Truce Proposal, Media Report

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Food Trucks in Gaza Raided, Underscoring Aid Distribution Problems

UP NEXT

US and Russia Clash in Public as the Ukraine War Heats Up

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

Ireland to Press Ahead With Trade Ban on Israeli-Occupied Areas

UP NEXT

Palestinians Flock to US-Backed Aid Centers Despite Concern Over Checks

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

43 minutes ago

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

44 minutes ago

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

52 minutes ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

1 hour ago

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

1 hour ago

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

1 hour ago

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

2 hours ago

Dodgers Acquire Former All-Star Reliever Alexis Díaz in Trade With Cincinnati Reds

2 hours ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to 49ers Practice, Showing No Ill Effects From Injuries

2 hours ago

Wall Street Falls as Trump Says China Violated Tariff Terms

2 hours ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

Sarvadnya Kadam, a 14-year-old Visalia eighth grader, came only a few letters short of claiming the championship in the Scripps National Spe...

3 minutes ago

3 minutes ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

33 minutes ago

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

fresno shooting
35 minutes ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

43 minutes ago

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

44 minutes ago

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

52 minutes ago

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

1 hour ago

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

1 hour ago

Visalia House Fire Causes Evacuations, Road Closures

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend