According to investigators, an Iranian drone was used to bomb an oil tanker last week connected to an Israeli billionaire. On Tuesday, the Navy stated.
Last Tuesday’s drone attack on the oil tanker Pacific Zircon, flying the flag of Liberia, off the coast of Oman, seems to be a part of the long-running shadow conflict between Israel and its arch-enemy Iran, which has also included the targeting of vessels with ties to Israel in vital Mideast waterways.
According to the Navy, explosives specialists entered the ship to inspect the damage, which included a 76-centimeter-wide (30-inch) hole punched in its side, and to gather debris and bomb remnants.
The evidence was brought to a lab at the U.S. government’s main office. Bahrain is a country in the Gulf of Arab.
According to Navy investigators, the drone used was an Iranian Shahed-136, the same bomb-carrying drone that Iran provided to Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
According to the Navy, Yemeni rebels attacked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates earlier this year using Iranian drones.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said that the Iranian strike on a commercial tanker passing international seas was “deliberate, brazen and dangerous, threatening the lives of the ship’s crew and disrupting maritime security in the Middle East.” Central Command for Naval Forces.
Eastern Pacific Shipping, based in Singapore, runs the Pacific Zircon and is ultimately owned by Israeli tycoon Idan Ofer.
At the time of the incident, Israel and United States officials stated that they believed Iran was responsible.
Iranian government representatives have not responded to the attack or the claims that Iran was involved.
Two crew members were killed last year when an alleged Iranian drone attack slammed into the Israeli-affiliated oil tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman. Amid months-long nationwide demonstrations demanding the removal of its ruling mullahs, Iran has recently taken a stand against perceived foes overseas.
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