The U.S. and Israel are working together to counter "Iranian terrorism," Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Saturday evening after speaking with American counterpart Antony Blinken about an attack on an Israeli-managed tanker that was blamed on Iran.
Israel said Iran was behind the Friday attack on the petroleum products tanker off the coast of Oman that killed two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian. Lapid said the attack deserved a harsh response.
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Smoke billows from the Mercer Street oil tanker after being attacked off the coast of Oman
There was no immediate official reaction from Iran to the accusation that it was responsible.
Lapid spoke with Blinken about the incident on Saturday evening, he said in Hebrew on Twitter.
"We are working together against Iranian terrorism, which poses a threat to all of us, by formulating a real and effective international response," Lapid said.
Lapid added on Twitter: Iran "repeatedly errs in understanding our commitment to protecting ourselves and our interests."
The U.S. military said Saturday that its navy was assisting the tanker, adding the ship was most likely hit by a drone strike.
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U.S. naval forces providing assistance to the oil tanker attacked off the coast of Oman on Friday
(Photo: Reuters)
Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned vessel, was being escorted by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
"U.S. Navy explosives experts are aboard to ensure there is no additional danger to the crew, and are prepared to support an investigation into the attack," said Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia.
"Initial indications clearly point to a UAV-style [drone] attack," it added.
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The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street sails off the coast of South Africa in 2018
(Photo: AP)
U.S. and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said on Friday that Iran was their leading suspect for the incident.
Al Alam TV, the Iranian government's Arabic-language television network, cited unnamed sources as saying the attack on the ship came in response to a suspected, unspecified Israeli attack on Dabaa airport in Syria.
The vessel is managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime. The company said on Friday the vessel was sailing under the control of its crew and own power to a safe location with a U.S. naval escort.
Iran and Israel have traded accusations of attacking each other's vessels in recent months.
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Yair Lapid meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, May 2021
(Photo: U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem)
Tensions have risen in the Gulf region since the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after then-president Donald Trump withdrew Washington from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides maritime security information, said the vessel was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqm when it was attacked.
According to Refinitiv ship tracking, the medium-size tanker was headed for Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.