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What happened in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday?
Two tankers were attacked, leaving one on fire and the other adrift, during the second incident of this type in a month, near the Strait of Ormuz, a strategic waterway for the Oil supply in the world. It was not clear who led the attacks and how.
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The Taiwanese oil refiner, CPC, has stated that Altair before, owned by the Norwegian company Frontline, was hit at around 4am as it was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical raw material destined for Taiwan. CPC said there was suspicion that the boat had been torpedoed, but other reports suggest that the attack by a mine is more likely. The crew was recovered by a boat that pbades and handed over to an Iranian rescue ship.
the Brave Kokuka suffered damage to the hull during Saudi Arabia's methanol transport to Singapore, said its owner, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement. He clarified that the ship was afloat and that the crew was safe with a minor injury reported. A shipping broker told Reuters that the explosion that hit the ship was probably caused by a magnetic mine.
A tanker filmed in flames in the Gulf of Oman – video
What happened during the May incident?
On May 12, four oil tankers – two under the Saudi flag, one under the Norwegian flag and one under the Emirati flag – were damaged by explosions in waters off the United Arab Emirates.
An investigation conducted by the United Arab Emirates on June 7 revealed that it was "highly probable" that four limestone mines, magnetically attached to the hull of a ship, would be used in the attacks. According to the report, they were placed by qualified divers deployed from fast boats. The mines were placed shortly after the anchoring of the ships.
The investigation blamed an unidentified actor. The United States has accused Iran of its responsibility, but Iran denies it.
Underwater damage to four tankers hit by explosions off the UAE on May 12. Photo: Reuters
How are the countries of the region aligned?
The rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is dominant and both are engaged in a series of proxy wars across the region, particularly in Yemen.
Military power
The United States, which supports Saudi Arabia at the regional level, has 10,000 troops deployed on a base in Qatar. The 5th Fleet of the US Navy, which participated in the June 13 rescue operations, is based in Bahrain.
Regional map
How are US-Iran relations?
Tensions between the United States and Iran have increased in recent weeks. Washington has sent warships and bombers into the Gulf, and Tehran has threatened to resume uranium enrichment activities. A year ago, Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the 2015 agreement between Iran and the world powers on nuclear power and reinstate paralyzing sanctions.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have skyrocketed, Washington shipping warships into the Gulf and Tehran threatening to resume uranium enrichment activities.
John Bolton announces the deployment of USS Abraham Lincoln's strike group and a bomber task force in response to "a number of disturbing and progressive warnings and cautions".
Iran promises to enrich its uranium stock to a level of military quality if the world powers do not negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The United States is responding by imposing sanctions on the Iranian metals industry.
The EU urges Iran to abide by the nuclear deal and announces its intention to continue trading with the country despite US sanctions.
The United States has announced that it will install a battery of Patriot missiles in the Middle East to counter the threats of Iran.
The UAE has stated that four commercial vessels off its east coast have "been subjected to sabotage".
Houthi rebels in Yemen launch a drone attack against Saudi Arabia, hitting a major oil pipeline and putting it out of service.
The US embbady in Baghdad orders all non-essential government personnel to leave Iraq immediately.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of being the attack of a drone against its pipeline
A rocket lands near the US Embbady in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, without hurting anyone. Donald Trump tweeted: "If Iran wants to fight, it will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!
Iran's semi-official media reports that it has quadrupled the production of low-enriched uranium used for civilian purposes. Iran is allowed to enrich uranium, but the increase in its production could lead it to exceed the storage limits defined in the nuclear agreement.
Vice Admiral Michael Gilday, a senior Pentagon officer, said the United States had great confidence that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were responsible for the explosions against the four oilmen in the Gulf of Oman .
King Salman of Saudi Arabia hosts high-level summits in Mecca. He calls on the international community to use every possible means to confront Iran and accuses it of being behind "terrorist operations" targeting Saudi oil interests.
Saudi Arabia has announced that 26 people have been injured in an attack perpetrated by Houthi rebels from Yemen against an airport in Abha, a city in the southwestern kingdom.
Two oil tankers near the Hormuz Strait would have been attacked in an badault that left a fire and adrift, 44 sailors having been evacuated from both ships and the US Navy aided.
The American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is refueled. He moved from the Mediterranean to the Middle East last month. Photo: Mcsn Jason Waite / AFP / Getty Images
What is the role of the Strait of Hormuz in the global economy?
The Strait, which ensures the pbadage of the Gulf of Oman to the open sea, is the most important gateway for oil exports to the world. The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) calls it the worst "crossing point" in the world, worse than the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Indonesian island of Sumatra, Malaysia and Thailand, connecting the ocean Indian to the South China Sea. In 2016, 18.5 million barrels of crude oil were transported in the Strait of Ormuz, compared with 16 meters in the Straits of Malacca and 5 meters in the largest cbad, the Suez Cbad.
Oil cards
Iran has threatened to disrupt oil deliveries through the strait if the United States tries to strangle its economy.
Learn more about the global economic impact of attacks.
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