Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 14 June 2019
Tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-US tensions

By JON GAMBRELL suspected attack was es-
Associated Press pecially sensitive as Abe’s
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- high-stakes diplomacy mis-
ates (AP) — Two oil tank- sion was underway in Iran.
ers near the strategic Strait Japan’s Trade Ministry said
of Hormuz were damaged the two vessels had “Ja-
in suspected attacks on pan-related cargo.”
Thursday, an assault that On Wednesday, after talks
left one ablaze and adrift with Iranian President Has-
as sailors were evacuated san Rouhani, Abe warned
from both vessels and the that any “accidental con-
U.S. Navy rushed to assist flict” that could be sparked
amid heightened tensions amid the heightened
between Washington and U.S.-Iran tensions must be
Tehran. avoided.
The Navy and the ship’s His message came just
owners offered no imme- hours after Yemen’s Irani-
diate explanation on what an-backed Houthi rebels
weapon caused the dam- attacked a Saudi airport,
age to the MT Front Altair striking its arrivals hall be-
and the Kokuka Coura- fore dawn and wounding
geous in the Gulf of Oman 26 people Wednesday.
off the coast of Iran, though An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, Thursday, June 13, 2019. A statement published by
all believed the ships had Associated Press Khamenei’s website after
been targeted in an at- The comments came dur- two vessels that he de- Tanker Management de- Abe’s meeting Thursday
tack. ing a one-on-one meeting scribed as being hit in a clined to comment further with the supreme leader
It marks the latest mysteri- capping Japanese Prime “reported attack.” He did saying they are still inves- suggested a tense ex-
ous incident to target the Minister Shinzo Abe’s high- not say how the ships were tigating what caused the change between the two.
region’s oil tankers. The U.S. stakes visit in Tehran that attacked or who was sus- explosion. Its crew of 23 is “We have no doubt about
alleged that Iran used lim- sought to ease Iran-U.S. pected of being behind safe after being evacuat- your good will and serious-
pet mines to attack four tensions, suggested the ef- the assault. ed by the nearby Hyundai ness, but ... I don’t regard
oil tankers off the nearby forts had failed. Dryad Global, a maritime Dubai vessel, it said. Trump as deserving any
Emirati port of Fujairah last Benchmark Brent crude intelligence firm, prelimi- The second vessel was exchange of messages,”
month. spiked at one point by as narily identified one of the identified as the Kokuka Khamenei reportedly told
Iran has denied being in- much 4% in trading follow- vessels involved as the Courageous. Abe.
volved, but it comes as ing the suspected attack, MT Front Altair, a Marshall BSM Ship Management Khamenei also said Iran re-
Iranian-backed rebels in to over $62 a barrel, high- Islands-flagged crude oil said it sustained hull dam- mained opposed to build-
Yemen also have launched lighting how crucial the tanker. The vessel was “on age and 21 sailors had ing atomic weapons, but
missile and drone attacks area remains to global en- fire and adrift,” Dryad add- been evacuated, with one offered a challenge to
on Saudi Arabia. ergy supplies. A third of all ed. It did not offer a cause suffering minor injuries. Ira- Trump.
Meanwhile in Iran, Su- oil traded by sea passes for the incident or mention nian state television said 44 “You should know that if we
preme Leader Ayatollah through the strait, which is the second ship. sailors from the two tankers planned to produce nucle-
Ali Khamenei warned that the narrow mouth of the The firm that operates the have been transferred to ar weapons, America could
while Tehran doesn’t seek Persian Gulf. Front Altair told The Associ- an Iranian port in the south- not do anything,” said
nuclear weapons, “Ameri- Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th ated Press that an explo- ern province of Hormoz- Khamenei, who has final
ca could not do anything” Fleet spokesman, said the sion was the cause of the gan. say on all matters of state
to stop Iran if it did. U.S. Navy was assisting the fire onboard. International The timing of Thursday’s in Iran’s Shiite theocracy.q

Suicide bomber kills 9 in eastern Afghanistan

By AMIR SHAH he said. The Islamic State ing to restart stalled peace
Associated Press group, through its Amaq talks aimed at ending the
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — news agency, claimed re- country’s 18-year war and
A suicide bomber walked sponsibility for the suicide America’s longest-running
up to an Afghan police ve- attack. The group claimed military engagement.
hicle in Jalalabad, the cap- eight people were killed. The Taliban have held talks
ital of eastern Nangarhar Both IS and the Taliban op- with prominent Afghans,
province, and detonated erate in Nangarhar prov- including former President
an explosive device that ince, located on the bor- Hamid Karzai and mem-
killed three police and six der with Pakistan and con- bers of opposition politi-
civilians on Thursday, said sidered an IS stronghold. cal parties, but so far they
provincial health depart- Afghanistan’s security forc- have refused to hold direct
ment official Shoaib Sahak. es come under near-daily talks with the Afghan gov-
He said another 13 people attacks by both Taliban and ernment, calling them U.S.
were wounded, some of IS-affiliated fighters. Afghan puppets
the seriously. forces have suffered stag- Late Wednesday, the Af-
Attahullah Khogyani, gering casualties in recent ghan government freed
spokesman for the provin- In this photo released by the Foreign Office, Pakistan’s Foreign years, even as the Taliban 490 Taliban prisoners from
Ministry official Aftab Khokhar, right, escorts visiting Special
cial governor, said secu- Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, hold peace talks with U.S. jails across the country in a
rity forces were the target center, for talks at the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Pakistan, Peace Envoy Zalmay Khalil- goodwill gesture that dou-
of the attack. Several of Sunday, June 2, 2019. zad. He is currently in the bled as an attempt to fur-
the injured were police, Asociated Press Afghan capital, Kabul, try- ther the peace process.q