JERUSALEM – Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, has collected materialon the sabotage of four oil tankers off the coast of the United ArabEmirates (UAE) last month, which prodded the US to blame Iran for beingbehind the attack, the Times of Israel reports referencing Israeli publicbroadcaster Kan, Sputnik has reported.
The news outlet quoted unnamed Israeli Navy officials as saying that thealleged Iranian attack on the tankers was “a pretty impressive commandooperation”.
According to the officials, the intelligence information purportedlyrevealed that the operation’s goal was “to damage the vesselswithout injuring those on board”.
The information is due to be presented by the US at a UN Security Councilgathering slated for later this week.
This comes after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi statedin late May that Tehran rejects accusations of the Islamic Republic beinginvolved in the attack on the UAE-based oil tankers.
Araghchi slammed the claims as “ludicrous” and accused National SecurityAdviser John Bolton and “other warmongers” of plotting against Iran.
The Iranian diplomat responded to Bolton’s allegations that the tankers,which witnessed explosions off the coast of Fujairah, UAE, were damaged by“naval mines almost certainly from Iran”. Bolton, however, did not clarifywhat evidence his claims were based on.
On 12 May, two Saudi, one Norwegian, and one UAE oil tanker were damagedas a result of sabotage in the UAE’s exclusive economic zone in the Gulfof Oman. Neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia accused Iran of being responsiblefor the incident.
This came amid simmering tensions between the US and Iran that escalatedafter Washington stepped up its military presence in the Middle Eastin what Bolton called a “clear and unmistakable message” to Tehran.
Last month, the US deployed an aircraft carrier strike group, Patriotinterceptors, B-52 bombers and F-15 fighter jets to the region.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for his part, hasunderscored that Tehran would continue to resist Washington but that therewould be no war.
On 8 May, Tehran suspended its participation in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal,also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The move cameexactly a year after President Trump announced the US’ withdrawal from theJCPOA, also reinstating harsh economic sanctions on Iran.