Trump blames Iran for tanker attacks

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has confirmed the assessment of senior advisers and publicly accused Iran of being behind recent attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.

The US president said Iran was “a nation of terror” whose culpability had been”exposed” by the US. He was speaking to Fox News after the US military released a video it said showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.

Iran denied any role in Thursday’s apparent attacks, which have again rocked the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unravelling nuclear deal with world powers.

Iran accused Washington of waging an “Iranophobic campaign” against, while Trump countered that the country was “a nation of terror”. “Iran did do it,” he said of the attack.The black-and-white US video of the Iranians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous came after its crew abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated explosive on its hull, said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US military’s Central Command.

It shared photos of the vessel, which showed what appeared to be a conical limpet mine against its side. In the video, the boat from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous. The Iranians reach up and grab along where the limpet mine could be seen in the photo, and then sail away.

In a statement from its UN mission, Iran accused the US of escalating tensions. “The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement said.

In Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw “flying objects” before the attack, suggesting it was not damaged by mines. The suspected attacks occurred about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran.

Speaking at a meeting in Bishkek of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the United States present a serious threat to global and regional stability as tensions soar in the Gulf.

“The US government over the last two years, violating all the international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military resources, has taken an aggressive approach and presents a serious risk to stability in the region and the world,” Rouhani said, in translated comments.

Rouhani criticised the US for withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying Washington is forcing other parties and countries to breach a UN Security Council resolution on normalising trade contacts with Tehran. He called on the other participants in the deal to “carry out their obligations as soon as possible” so Tehran can develop its economic interests under the deal.

Meanwhile, China called for dialogue after the US accused Iran of being behind attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

“We hope that all the relevant sides can properly resolve their differences and resolve the conflict through dialogue and consultations,” said foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a regular press briefing. “This conforms with the interests of regional countries, and also conforms with the interests of the international community,” he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, with Xi saying that Beijing supports maintaining the Iran nuclear deal, from which the US has withdrawn, according to the official Xinhua news agency.