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The United States has released a video that they say shows that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was removing an unexploded mine from one of the two tankers hit by explosions in the Gulf of Guinea. Oman.
"At 16:10 local time (0010 GMT), an IRGC Gashti clbad patrolman approached M / T Kokuka Courageous and was seen and recorded in the process of removing the limpet mine. Unexploded M / T Brave Kokuka, "Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Army Central Command, said Thursday in a statement.
Washington believes that the footage clearly shows members of the Iranian elite force approaching the Japanese ship and withdrawing what the United States claims to be a legged mine.
However, on Friday, the Japanese operator of one of the tankers said that crew members had seen "flying objects" before the explosion.
"The US Central Command has not only released the video but also some pictures of the timeline of events from the American point of view in the hours following the attacks," said Kristen Saloomey, of Al Jazeera, reporting to Washington, DC .
"This video, it is said, was taken about 10 hours after the first distress calls were received from these two tankers and about five hours after the US Navy vessel arrested the 21 sailors who had fled the tanker. Japanese, "she said.
Iran vehemently denied any involvement in the reported attacks and called the US allegations "unfounded".
"We are responsible for maintaining the security of the Strait and we have saved the crew of the attacked tankers in the shortest possible time … The accusations of US Secretary of State Pompeo against Iran are alarming" Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told reporters on Friday.
Al Jazeera's Dorsa Jabbari, from the Iranian capital, Tehran, said the Iranian delegation to the UN had issued a statement in which she said the United States should stop "hawkish" and categorically deny that Iran had a connection with the reported attack.
Conflicting stories
The details of what happened on Thursday are still rare and sometimes contradictory. The incident comes as friction between the United States and Iran has intensified.
Attacks that allegedly took place in the Gulf of Oman, off the Iranian coast, set a ship on fire and both drifting, forcing many crew members to abandon the ships. They were the second in a month near the strategic strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route for the world's oil supply.
The crews of both vessels were evacuated to other nearby vessels. Iran and the United States then released images showing crew members saved aboard their ships.
The US Central Command announced that it had rescued 21 crew members from Japanese tanker Kokuka Courageous, while Iranian search and rescue teams were capturing 44 of the two ships, Iranian media reported.
The video aired a few hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of the incident, saying "these unprovoked attacks pose a clear threat to international peace and security."
"The United States believes that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks," he told Washington.
Pompeo has not provided any tangible evidence to support the US position.
Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif fought back at Pompeo, saying the US allegations against Iran were part of the "sabotage diplomacy" adopted by a so-called B-team, which includes US National Security Advisor John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin. Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.
"The fact that the United States immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran – without a hint of factual or circumstantial evidence – only makes it clear that the #B team is moving towards a #PlanB : sabotage diplomacy – including from @ AbeShinzo – and conceals his "Economic Terrorism Against Iran," commented Zarif.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to Iran to calm tensions and met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when the reported attacks took place. .
The UN condemns the attack
Earlier Thursday, the incident had been discussed at a United Nations meeting, which had warned that the world could not afford "a major clash in the Gulf", while the worry International was growing in the face of alleged attacks by merchant ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced Thursday's incidents at a Security Council meeting: "I strongly condemn any attack on civil incidents. The facts must be established and responsibilities clarified. "
The United States has accused Iran of having already attacked oil tankers, saying that Iranian-made strainers were used to attack four oil tankers on May 12 off the UAE's Fujairah port. Tehran called the allegation "ridiculous" and called for dialogue between the Gulf countries to mitigate what is known as an "alarming security situation" in the region.
Earlier in May, Washington had sent troops and warships into the region to counter Iran's undetermined threats.
This deployment comes a year after the signing of a multinational agreement by Washington that lifted sanctions against Iran in exchange for a reduction in its nuclear program.
He also reimposed and reinforced the sanctions against Tehran.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen described the alleged attacks as "heavy escalation" and linked them to attacks in July 2018 against two Saudi oil companies , the Red Sea.
"From my point of view … we can link it to the Houthi attacks on Bab al-Mandeb," Colonel Turki al-Maliki told reporters in Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition accuses Iran of arming the Houthis, but Tehran denies the accusations.
The United Arab Emirates also condemned Thursday's incident, described as "dangerous escalation".
In recent weeks, the Houthis have reacted to the intensification of raids on the position of the Saudi coalition by increasing attacks in Saudi Arabia, including its oil infrastructure.
On Friday morning, Saudi Arabia announced that its air defense forces had intercepted five drones launched by the Yemeni Houthis, lined up on Iran, at Abha airport and in the Khamis Mushait town.
Source: Al Jazeera
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