This Jan. 2, 2016 photo shows the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street off Cape Town, South Africa. The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, July 30, 2021, as details about the incident remained few. (Johan Victor via AP)
The UN Security Council said evidence shows Iran was behind a deadly attack on an Israeli managed tanker ship in the Gulf of Oman. That’s according to the council on Friday, which said the attack was carried out by a drone loaded with military grade explosives.
Both the drone and the munitions used are only manufactured in Iran. The attack on the Mercer Street on July 29 claimed the lives of two crew members. The UN has criticized Iran’s disregard for international law.
“The U.K. knows that Iran was responsible for this attack. We know it was deliberate and targeted,” said UN Ambassador for the U.K., Barbara Woodward. “There is no justification for what happened, a state sanctioned attack on a civilian vessel passing peacefully through international waters.”
The UK briefed Security Council members on the evidence we have about what happened.
That evidence is clear cut.
The UK knows that Iran was responsible for this attack on MV Mercer Street.
We know it was deliberate and targeted.
📌#UNSC 🇺🇳🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/sgfKPyw7L2
— Ambassador Barbara Woodward (@BWoodward_UN) August 6, 2021
In the meantime, the State Department released a statement from the G-7 calling it a deliberate and targeted attack and a clear violation of international law. This comes after hijackers stormed a second tanker in the gulf earlier this week with crew members recorded saying armed Iranians had boarded the ship.
Source: One America News Network
