US military claims evidence shows Iran behind drone attack on Israel-linked tanker

Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) and the US military, on Friday, blamed Iran for last week's attack on an Israel-linked oil tanker in the Arabian Sea that led to the death of a UK based security guard and a Romanian.

Mercer Street, the Liberian flagged oil tanker linked to Israel was targetted with a UAV explosive drone on July 29, as confirmed by the US Navy. Mercer Street’s UK-based ship management firm, registered in Liberia, said that the M/T Mercer Street erupted in blazes in one of the world’s key trade routes off Oman. Roughly a third of the world’s oil supply passes through the route.

"This was a deliberate and targeted attack and a clear violation of international law. All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack," G7 foreign ministers and the US Army said in a joint statement on Friday. The leaders stressed that cargo vessels and oil tankers must be allowed to “navigate freely in accordance with international law” without any threat of violence.

[Credit: AP]

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) backed the G7 statement saying that the military has “collected substantial evidence” against Tehran. The foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States of America agreed in a joint statement that the attack on Mercer Street was “a clear violation of international law.” Iran has denied any involvement.

Iran accused of potential hijack

Less than a week after the attack, Iran-backed forces also reportedly attempted to seize an unnamed vessel in a "non-piracy" incident off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iran denied the allegations and said that the “hijacking accusation paves way for ‘adventurism’”.

The potential ‘hijack’ of the vessel in the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world's busiest waterways—was first reported by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) that cited UAE maritime sources. Later, the maritime agency announced that the vessel was “safe and secure.”

Maritime security analysts at Dryad Global and Aurora Intelligence identified the endangered asphalt and bitumen tanker to be the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess bound for Sohar, a port on Oman's northern coast. 

As the G7 ministers and the US  jointly called out at Iran’s “belligerent behaviour,” they emphasised that they will continue to “do their utmost” to ensure vessels operate freely “without the threat of violence.” 

"Iran's behaviour, alongside its support to proxy forces and non-state armed actors, threatens international peace and security," the G7, US joint statement signed by top diplomats of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, as well as the EU high representative read. "We call on Iran to stop all activities inconsistent with relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and call on all parties to play a constructive role in fostering regional stability and peace.”

Israel’s defense minister threatened to use force against Iran for “crimes and inhumane practices in the region,”, while Iran responded saying: "Iran will not hesitate to defend itself and secure its national interests.”

UAV identified as 'Shahed-136'

The US Central Command issued a separate statement saying that Mercer Street had been subjected to two prior UAV drone attacks. The third attack, it said, proved fatal.

CENTCOM added that its explosives experts gathered parts of the exploded drone, including the vertical stabilizer and internal components and found that the parts were “nearly identical to previously collected examples from Iranian one-way attack UAVs.”  

The investigative team determined that the extensive damage to Mercer Street was the result of a third UAV attack as UAV caused approximately 6-foot-diameter hole in the pilot house on vessel, drone had been rigged “to cause injury and destruction.”—CENTCOM. 

"The distance from the Iranian coast to the locations of the attacks was within the range of documented Iranian one-way attack UAVs," CENTCOM’s statement read. "Following an on-scene analysis, some of the material was transferred to US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain and subsequently to a US national laboratory for further testing and verification,” it continued. 

The US military shared the “evidence” with the UK and Israel, both of whom "concurred" that the drone was Iran-manufactured. “US experts concluded based on the evidence that this UAV was produced in Iran,” G7’s statement noted.

The UK’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward identified the UAV as Shahed-136. In s separate statement, the UN’s British envoy said that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has found that these explosive-laden UAVs are “manufactured only in Iran.”

Iran's deputy ambassador at the United Nations, Zahra Ershadi, told reporters that the Iranian government "categorically” rejects the accusation. "Iran will not hesitate to defend itself and secure its national interests," she added.