The United States focuses its efforts on the search for a consensus after tanker attacks: the Pentagon | Iran News

The administration of President of the United States, Donald Trump, is striving to create an international consensus following the attacks on two oil companies in the Middle East, which the United States has charged to the United States. Iran. Defense Patrick Shanahan said Friday.

Shanahan told Pentagon reporters that he, White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared this goal.

Iran has denounced as "ridiculous" and "dangerous" American allegations that Tehran was behind the attacks near the Strait of Hormuz.

The two ships – the Japanese Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian Front Altair – were damaged on Thursday morning as they were leaving the Gulf of Oman. This is the second such incident in four weeks that has caused a rise in Brent crude prices and a heightened tension in the sector. Region.

Shanahan, who later asked if he was considering sending more US troops or military capabilities to the Middle East, said: "As you know, we are still planning various eventualities."

But then he returned to the question of building consensus.

"When you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, a Japanese ship, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, 15% of the world's oil pbades through the Strait of Hormuz," he said. declared.

"We must, of course, develop emergency plans in the event of a deterioration of the situation, and we must also expand our (international) support for this international situation," he added.

Shanahan said the Pentagon's role would include intelligence-sharing, as US Central Command did on Thursday by publicly posting a grainy video showing the Iranian army removing an unexploded mine from the United States. Kokuka Brave, a few hours after the alleged attacks.

Iran said the video proved nothing and Tehran was becoming a scapegoat.

"The more we can declbadify information, the more we can share information, and we'll do it – and that's our intention," Shanahan said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that US intelligence agencies had concluded that Iran was responsible for the attacks, without providing any concrete evidence.

On Friday, in a TV interview on Fox News, Trump said, "Iran has done it."

"You know they did it because you saw the boat," Trump told the Fox and Friends show. "I guess one of the mines has not exploded and that Iran is basically written there."

But Yutaka Katada, owner of Kokuka Courageous, has questioned part of the US account, telling reporters Friday that the ship's crew had seen a "flying object" before a second explosion on the boat.

Calling reports of an attack at the mine "false", he said: "The crew was saying that he had been hit by a flying object … Put a bomb on the side of the boat it is not something we are considering. "

For its part, Iran rejected the accusations, with the United Nations, Russia and Qatar having called for an international investigation into the reported attacks.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, said the United States had "immediately jumped to bring charges against Iran without any factual or circumstantial evidence."

The allegation "only makes it clear" that the United States and its regional allies, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were moving towards a "Plan B", said Mr. Zarif, who was to "sabotage the diplomacy" of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. went to Iran to defuse the escalation of US-Iranian frictions.

Prudence of the Arab league

On Friday, the president of the Arab League called on the Iranians to "be careful and turn around".

The UN Secretary General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said, after speaking with the UN Secretary-General at the UN headquarters in New York, that there were conflicting reports about how whose incidents with oil tankers took place on Thursday.

"We believe that responsibilities must be clearly defined," he said. "The facts will be revealed, I'm sure, it's only a matter of time."

Aboul Gheit added, "My call to my Iranian – and I call them my Iranian brethren: be careful and reverse the process because you are driving everyone to a confrontation where no one would be safe if it happened".

The British government said it was in agreement with the American conclusion that Iran had attacked the tankers.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that its own findings had concluded "that it is almost certain that a branch of the Iranian army," the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, would have attacked the oil.

He added that he also thought that Iran was behind an attack on four oil tankers near the port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

On May 12, a few days after the announcement of the military deployment by Washington, four oil tankers near the port were damaged as part of what the UAE called "sabotage attacks". The United States accused Iran of being behind these incidents, claiming that Iran's paw-made mines were used during the attacks. Tehran also rejected these claims.

"Ridiculous, dangerous"

Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, called the latest US accusations "ridiculous, but also very disturbing and dangerous," according to the official IRNA news agency.

Blaming Iran for these incidents was "the easiest and most convenient way" for US officials, he said, adding, "We are responsible for the security of the strait and we have saved the # 39, tanker crew attacked in the shortest time. "

Justin Bronk, combat technology specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, said the patrol boat featured in the US video was known to be the one used by the IRGC.

However, "if the attack was directed against Iranians, it would be extremely brazen to go up and recover an unexploded mine. [while] under the control of the American destroyer who was nearby, "he said.

"On the other hand, you could argue that they wanted to recover an unexploded mine to prevent it from being returned to them.Although, realistically, it's safe." was acting Iranians, there will be enough evidence to return them even without mine unexploded ".

BIMCO, the largest international shipping badociation in the world, urged all nations involved to defuse tensions and work through diplomatic efforts.

"We urge nations to do everything in their power to defuse tensions and ensure the safe pbadage of the Merchant Navy into the Strait of Hormuz," said Angus Frew, Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer. BIMCO, in a statement.

"It is unacceptable that the lives of innocent sailors are endangered by these unprovoked attacks," Frew added.

BIMCO represents about 60% of the world's merchant fleet.

Jakob Larsen, head of maritime safety at BIMCO, said the attacks were an urgent concern for the sector.

"After the two most recent attacks, and pending the results of the investigations, the tension in the Strait of Ormuz and the Persian Gulf is now at its height without becoming a real armed conflict," added Larsen.

The Ormuz Strait is the only offshore seaway in the Gulf and is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world. The disruption of navigation in the Strait will have a major impact on the oil trade and the shipping industry.