Iran denies involvement in attack on Israel-linked oil tanker

(REUTERS): Iran today (Sunday) denied its involvement in an attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker off the coast of Oman, which killed two people.

Addressing a weekly news conference streamed online, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, “The Zionist regime (Israel) has created insecurity, terror and violence.

“These accusations about Iran’s involvement are condemned by Tehran. Such accusations are meant by Israel to divert attention from facts and are baseless,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, two crew members were killed when the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned ship managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime was attacked. Israel’s foreign minister said the incident deserved a harsh response.

Zodiac Maritime described the incident as “suspected piracy” and a source at the Oman Maritime Security Centre as an accident that occurred outside Omani territorial waters.

United States and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said Iran was their leading suspect for the incident, which a US defence official said appeared to have been carried out by a drone, but stressed their governments were seeking conclusive evidence.

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also blamed Iran for last week’s attack on the tanker . Bennett added that intelligence supports his claims, and that he expects the international community “to clarify to the Iranian regime that they have made a big mistake.”