They attacked an oil tanker operated by an Israeli company off the coast of Oman: at least two dead

Two people died in attack on oil tanker linked to Israeli billionaire on Friday while off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said on Friday, in the first such attack to kill a number of people.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for Thursday night’s attack on the Liberian-flagged Mercer Street tanker. However, a US official said PA that there are indications that the attack was carried out by a drone, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group is behind it.

For his part, an Israeli security official said his government believed Iran was behind the attack on the ship., citing similar attacks in the past but without providing evidence at this time. The United States Navy arrived at the scene and was tasked with escorting the tanker to a safe porta London-based ship management company said on Friday.

It is the most significant violent attack linked to maritime transport since 2019.

The United States, Israel and other countries have accused Iran of such attacks in the context of the collapse of the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, while Iran could take an even harsher approach to the West with the appointment to the presidency of an outright protégé of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Thursday night’s attack on him The tanker occurred in the northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, more than 300 kilometers southeast of the capital of Oman, Muscat.

London-based Zodiac Maritime, part of the Israeli billionaire Zodiac group Eyal Ofer, reported in a statement that the attack ended the life of two crew members, one from UK and one from Romania. However, they were not identified and no explanation or details were provided for the assault. .

The government of The UK later confirmed that a UK citizen “died after an incident on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman”.

Zodiac Maritime’s statement states that “At the time of the incident, the vessel was in the northern Indian Ocean, traveling from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah with no cargo on board,” naming the ports of Tanzania and the United Arab Emirates.

Satellite tracking data from MarineTraffic.com has shown that the ship was close to where British authorities said the attack took place. However, the last signal sent by the ship arrived early Friday morning.

Zodiac Maritime has described the owners of Mercer Street as Japanese, without naming them. The Lloyd’s List Shipping Authority has identified the ultimate owner of the vessel as Taihei Kaiun Co., which al Grupo Nippon Yusen con sede in Tokio.

Friday night, Zodiac Maritime said the tanker was sailing under the control of its crew “to get to safety with a US naval escort”.. For its part, the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, did not respond to a request for comment.

British Army UK Maritime Trade Operations have stated that a investigation into the attack and that coalition forces were involved.

A US official, who requested anonymity, said The Associated Press What the attack appears to have been carried out by a “one-way” drone with the participation of other drones. The official said it was not immediately clear who launched the attack and declined to give details.

An Israeli official, who spoke similarly on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to report to the media, he blamed Iran for the attack and confirmed other public details of the incident. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, citing hostile rhetoric from Tehran, support for militant anti-Israel groups and growing influence in the region.

Both comments came after a report by private maritime intelligence firm Dryad Global referred to a observation of a drone involving the ship before the attack. Iranian-Yemen-backed Houthi rebels, backed by Tehran, have in the past used so-called “suicide drones,” drones loaded with explosives that explode upon hitting a target.

In a separate event, the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Friday it had foiled an attempted “enemy drone” attack on a Saudi merchant ship.Saudi state television reported, without providing further details. The coalition accused the Iranian-backed Houthis of threatening maritime security in the southern Red Sea, near the crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The strait is essential for oil shipments from the Persian Gulf to Europe, as well as for goods from Asia to Europe.

British Maritime Safety Company Ambrey said the attack on Mercer Street killed one of his crew, as well as a member of the tanker’s crew.. The intelligence company said it was working with authorities and offering support to the victim’s family “at this incredibly sad time.”

Omani officials, for their part, did not respond to requests for comment. The sultanate is located in the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and stretches along vital freight and energy transport routes crossing the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.

So far, Israel has not publicly acknowledged the attack. There has been a record in recent months of other ships linked to Israel, amid a phantom war between the two nations, and Israeli officials blame the Islamic Republic for the attacks.

Thursday’s attack came in the middle Intense tensions over the complex Iran nuclear deal and when negotiations to restore the deal stalled in Vienna. The series of attacks on ships allegedly carried out by Iran began a year after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018.

Iranian media quoted foreign press information about Thursday’s attackbut did not provide further details. The attack came the night after the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, speaking from Kuwait, warned Iran that talks in Vienna on the nuclear deal “cannot continue indefinitely”.

This is the second time this month that a ship linked to Ofer has apparently been attacked. In early July, the Liberian-flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, linked to Zodiac Maritime, suffered an inexplicable explosion on board while in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the US Maritime Administration.

(With AP information)

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