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| Two oil tankers struck in suspected attacks in Gulf of Oman | Two oil tankers struck in suspected attacks in Gulf of Oman |
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| Two oil tankers have been hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were struck. | Two oil tankers have been hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were struck. |
| The US navy’s fifth fleet said it was assisting the tankers, which issued distress calls near the strategic strait of Hormuz. The crew from both tankers were evacuated. | The US navy’s fifth fleet said it was assisting the tankers, which issued distress calls near the strategic strait of Hormuz. The crew from both tankers were evacuated. |
| Reports of the explosions originally came from the same Hezbollah-linked news agencies in Lebanon that correctly reported attacks on tankers docked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May. The US blamed those attacks on Iran – an accusation Tehran has denied. | Reports of the explosions originally came from the same Hezbollah-linked news agencies in Lebanon that correctly reported attacks on tankers docked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May. The US blamed those attacks on Iran – an accusation Tehran has denied. |
| The suspected attacks occurred along one of the world’s busiest oil routes, and the price of oil surged as the initial reports emerged on Thursday. | The suspected attacks occurred along one of the world’s busiest oil routes, and the price of oil surged as the initial reports emerged on Thursday. |
| Front Altair was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, when it was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo”, said Wu I-Fang from Taiwan’s state oil refiner CPC, which chartered the vessel. Iran state media reported that the Front Altair had sunk, though the ship’s operator, Frontline, said this was not the case. | Front Altair was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, when it was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo”, said Wu I-Fang from Taiwan’s state oil refiner CPC, which chartered the vessel. Iran state media reported that the Front Altair had sunk, though the ship’s operator, Frontline, said this was not the case. |
| The Kokuka Courageous was damaged in a “suspected attack” that breached the hull above the waterline while en route from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said. “The ship is safely afloat,” it added. | The Kokuka Courageous was damaged in a “suspected attack” that breached the hull above the waterline while en route from Saudi Arabia to Singapore, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said. “The ship is safely afloat,” it added. |
| Iranian state TV reported 44 crew had been evacuated from the tankers to an Iranian port. | Iranian state TV reported 44 crew had been evacuated from the tankers to an Iranian port. |
| United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is part of the Royal Navy, said it was investigating. “We are deeply concerned by reports of explosions and fires on vessels in the strait of Hormuz. We are in contact with local authorities and partners in the region,” said a UK government spokeswoman. | United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is part of the Royal Navy, said it was investigating. “We are deeply concerned by reports of explosions and fires on vessels in the strait of Hormuz. We are in contact with local authorities and partners in the region,” said a UK government spokeswoman. |
| Tensions in the Gulf have been close to boiling point for weeks as the US puts “maximum economic pressure” on Iran in an attempt to force Tehran to reopen talks about the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US pulled out of last year. | Tensions in the Gulf have been close to boiling point for weeks as the US puts “maximum economic pressure” on Iran in an attempt to force Tehran to reopen talks about the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US pulled out of last year. |
| The latest incident came as the Japanese prime minister, Shinzō Abe, held talks with the Iranian leadership in Tehran in an effort to find a basis for discussions between the US and Iran. The Japanese stressed they were not bringing specific messages from the US president, Donald Trump, and said nothing that they had heard in the first day of talks suggested a breakthrough was imminent. | The latest incident came as the Japanese prime minister, Shinzō Abe, held talks with the Iranian leadership in Tehran in an effort to find a basis for discussions between the US and Iran. The Japanese stressed they were not bringing specific messages from the US president, Donald Trump, and said nothing that they had heard in the first day of talks suggested a breakthrough was imminent. |
| Japan’s trade ministry said the two oil tankers involved in Thursday’s incidents carried “Japan-related” cargo. | Japan’s trade ministry said the two oil tankers involved in Thursday’s incidents carried “Japan-related” cargo. |
| The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, described Thursday’s developments as “suspicious” and implied that the fault lay with a person or group trying to damage his country. | The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, described Thursday’s developments as “suspicious” and implied that the fault lay with a person or group trying to damage his country. |
| “Suspicious doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired this morning,” he tweeted, adding that the incidents took place while Abe was meeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, “for extensive and friendly talks”. | “Suspicious doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired this morning,” he tweeted, adding that the incidents took place while Abe was meeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, “for extensive and friendly talks”. |
| An inquiry by the UAE into the attacks on 12 May found the sophisticated mines were used by state-like actors, but stopped short of blaming Iran or any other state as the culprit. The US national security adviser, John Bolton, said Iran was almost certainly involved. An alternative explanation is that the attacks were undertaken by Houthi rebels fighting the Saudi-led efforts to oust them from Yemen. | An inquiry by the UAE into the attacks on 12 May found the sophisticated mines were used by state-like actors, but stopped short of blaming Iran or any other state as the culprit. The US national security adviser, John Bolton, said Iran was almost certainly involved. An alternative explanation is that the attacks were undertaken by Houthi rebels fighting the Saudi-led efforts to oust them from Yemen. |
| Iran has repeatedly said it had no knowledge of the attacks and had not instructed any surrogate forces to attack Gulf shipping or Saudi oil installations. | Iran has repeatedly said it had no knowledge of the attacks and had not instructed any surrogate forces to attack Gulf shipping or Saudi oil installations. |
| Senior regional officials aligned to Iran and claiming knowledge of Khamenei’s approach to the standoff say he is adamantly opposed to discussions with Washington, or a proxy, from a perceived position of weakness. The officials say Khamenei assesses that Trump likely does not want to initiate a war, but rather renegotiate the nuclear deal that his administration tore up last year. | |
| Khamanei and other Iranian leaders are understood to be wanting to enter any negotiation on their own terms, and see global energy security as a key point of leverage in Washington and Riyadh. | |
| Iran's foreign minister warns US 'cannot expect to stay safe' | Iran's foreign minister warns US 'cannot expect to stay safe' |
| In a sign of how the Yemen civil war and the wider US-Iranian tensions are becoming intertwined, Riyadh accused Tehran of ordering a Yemeni rebel missile strike that wounded 26 people at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. | In a sign of how the Yemen civil war and the wider US-Iranian tensions are becoming intertwined, Riyadh accused Tehran of ordering a Yemeni rebel missile strike that wounded 26 people at a Saudi airport on Wednesday. |
| “The continuation of the Iranian regime’s aggression and reckless escalation, whether directly or through its militias, will result in grave consequences,” Saudi Arabia’s deputy defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said. | “The continuation of the Iranian regime’s aggression and reckless escalation, whether directly or through its militias, will result in grave consequences,” Saudi Arabia’s deputy defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said. |
| Iran and the Yemeni rebels both follow branches of Shia Islam but Tehran has always denied providing more than moral support to the rebels. | Iran and the Yemeni rebels both follow branches of Shia Islam but Tehran has always denied providing more than moral support to the rebels. |
| The rebels say missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia are one of the few ways they can retaliate after more than four years of bombing by the Saudi-led coalition, which has exacted a heavy civilian death toll in Yemen. | The rebels say missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia are one of the few ways they can retaliate after more than four years of bombing by the Saudi-led coalition, which has exacted a heavy civilian death toll in Yemen. |
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