Page 10 - MEOG Week 31 2021

MEOG POLICY MEOG

London and Tehran exchange

stern words over tanker attack

IRAN IRAN on August 2 warned that it would respond Khatibzadeh also said that he “strongly regretted
rapidly to any threat to its security, as the UK the baseless accusations made by the British for-
summoned the Iranian ambassador in London eign secretary against Iran, which were repeated
over the apparent drone attack on a tanker off by the US secretary of state in the same context
the coast of Oman that the British, US and Israel and contained contradictory, false, and provoc-
have claimed was mounted by Tehran. ative accusations.”
A Briton and a Romanian were killed in the Iran earlier on August 1 denied it was
strike on Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Jap- involved in the incident.
anese-owned tanker managed by Israeli-owned However, the previous day, an Iranian gov-
Zodiac Maritime. ernment Arabic-language television station,
London, Washington and Tel Aviv said they Al Alam TV, quoted unnamed sources as say-
would work with allies including Romania to ing that the attack was made in revenge for an
respond to the July 29 incident. unspecified alleged Israeli attack on an airport in
“Iran has no hesitation in protecting its Syria, an ally of Iran’s.
security and national interests and will respond Analysts widely suspect Iran and Israel are
promptly and strongly to any possible adventur- involved in an undeclared shadow war in which
ism,” Iranian state TV quoted Iranian Foreign they carry out attacks on each other’s vessels.
Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh as saying. This war appears to be escalating, with the fact
British PM Boris Johnson on August 1 said that there were human casualties as a result of the
of the situation: “I think that Iran should face latest attack marking a possible turning point for
up to the consequences of what they have done, the worse. Iran has also accused Israel of mount-
accept the attribution that the Foreign Secretary ing covert operations to assassinate its nuclear
has made. This was clearly an unacceptable and scientists and destroy Iranian nuclear develop-
outrageous attack on commercial shipping, a UK ment facilities.
national died. Zodiac Maritime is led by Israeli businessman
“It is absolutely vital that Iran and every other and shipowner Eyal Ofer.
country respects the freedoms of navigation In July, a containership recently sold by the
around the world, and the UK will continue to Ofer family was attacked in the Indian Ocean.
insist on that.” In April, an Israel-owned ro-ro carrier was
At the British Foreign Office, Iran’s ambassa- attacked off Fujairah, while Israel was also
dor to the UK Mohsen Baharvand was told by accused of a mining an Iranian ship Saviz.
Middle East minister James Cleverly that Tehran The Wall Street Journal reported in March
must “immediately cease actions that risk inter- that Israel has targeted at least 12 ships bound
national peace and security”. for Syria, most of them transporting Iranian oil,
At the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokesman with mines and other weapons.™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 31 04•August•2021