UN Security Council to discuss deadly tanker attack off Oman

LONDON: Britain will raise a deadly tanker attack off the coast of Oman during a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday, diplomats said, but the 15-member body is not expected to take any action.

Britain, Romania and Liberia told the Security Council it was “highly likely” that Iran used one or more drones to carry out the tanker attack last week, which killed two crew members – a Briton and a Romanian.

“This attack disrupted and posed a risk to the safety and security of international shipping and was a clear violation of international law,” the countries said in a letter to the 15-member council seen by Reuters. “This act must be condemned by the international community.”

Tehran has denied any involvement in Thursday’s attack on the Mercer Street – a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product tanker managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime.

“There’s a lot of conflicting information. A ‘highly likely’ analysis, which we totally reject. We need to establish facts … we don’t need to rush to any conclusions or actions without having proof of what has happened,” deputy Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters on Wednesday.

The council is also coincidentally due to discuss maritime security in a public meeting on Monday, chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India is council president for August.

“The United Kingdom and Romania, along with regional and international partners, are conducting a thorough investigation of this attack. We will update the council in due course,” Britain, Liberia and Romania said in the letter.

Israel wrote separately to the UN Security Council, vowing to “continue to take all necessary measures to protect its citizens.”

“Iran’s unceasing hostile activities endanger our region and beyond, and we expect the Security Council to take concrete and decisive action to curb this growing threat,” wrote Israel’s Ambassador to the United States and United Nations Gilad Erdan.

The United States and Britain said on Sunday they would work with their allies to respond to the attack. “We will do the necessary to ensure that there is accountability on this and that Iran is identified and dealt with at the Security Council,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told MSNBC on Thursday.