The United States on Friday accused Iran of being behind the Thursday attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The US military released a video that supposedly shows how members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard tried to destroy evidence of their involvement in the attacks by removing an unexploded mine from one of the targeted oil tankers.
However, Iran is denying responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the regime pointed to “the US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region” as “the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security.”
Last month, four oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, also with naval mines. The United States blamed Iran for that incident as well, but Tehran denied responsibility. Tensions in the Middle East have increased in recent months, especially after the US increased sanctions on Iran. The Trump administration has repeatedly warned of a growing Iranian threat, while Iran has slammed US sanctions as a form of economic war. Iran recently scaled back some of the commitments it made under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was abandoned by the US last year.
Read more: US says Iran took mine off tanker; Iran denies involvement
