July 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
Part of the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis | |
Date | 29 July 2021 |
---|---|
Location | Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean |
Target | Merchant ship MT Mercer Street |
Deaths | 2 crew members killed |
Property damage | 1 merchant ship damaged |
Suspects | Iran (alleged by U.S., British, Israeli and Romanian officials; denied by Iran) |
On 29 July 2021, the oil tanker MT Mercer Street, travelling from Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with no cargo on board, was attacked off the coast of Oman. The ship is flagged in Liberia. It is Japanese-owned and managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime, an international ship management company headquartered in London and led by billionaire shipping magnate Eyal Ofer, who is an Israeli citizen.[1]
The
The attack was preceded by two similar incidents that occurred in May and June 2019 and was followed by another in August 2021.
Incident
On 29 July 2021, the oil tanker MT Mercer Street was attacked near the coast of Oman while sailing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Tanzania. The ship suffered damage to its bridge, with the attack killing its Romanian national captain and a British national bodyguard.[4]
The
Initial Israeli assessment suggested that there were two attacks on the ship several hours apart, the second of which resulted in the fatalities.
CENTCOM investigation
The
Reactions
U.S., British, Israeli and Romanian officials blamed Iran for the attack.[12][4][6][13][14] Yair Lapid, Israel's Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister, said he spoke with the British Foreign Secretary about the "need to respond severely" to the attack which he indirectly blamed on Iran.[7]
On 6 August, foreign ministers from the
Despite no immediate official reaction from Iran, the Iranian government's Arabic-speaking Al-Alam News Network cited unnamed "knowledgeable sources" who said the tanker was attacked as a response for the "latest Israeli airstrikes on Dabaa airport in Syria," which the Network said resulted in two unspecified casualties.[19][6] Later, the Iranian government formally denied involvement in the incident and said it will respond to any threat.[3][20]
See also
- August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
- November 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
- 2022 Iran–Greece naval incident
- 2023 attack on the Chem Pluto
References
- ^ Hallam, Jonny; McKenzie, Sheena; El Damanhoury, Kareem; Starr, Barbara (2 August 2021). "Deadly drone attack on tanker escalates Iran-Israel maritime tensions". CNN. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ Frantzman, Seth J. (1 August 2021). "Iran TV report says attack on "Israeli ship" was revenge for Syria raid". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Iran denies involvement in attack on Israeli-managed tanker off Oman". Reuters. 1 August 2021. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ a b Starr, Michael; Reich, Aaron (30 July 2021). "Two killed in alleged Iranian drone attack on Israeli-managed ship". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Gambrell, Jon (30 July 2021). "Ship tied to Israeli billionaire attacked off Oman, 2 killed". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ a b c Barrington, Lisa; Saul, Jonathan; Williams, Dan (30 July 2021). "Israel blames Iran for attack on tanker off Oman that killed two". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ a b Gambrell, Jon (31 July 2021). "US Navy says drone strike hit oil tanker off Oman, killing 2". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Central Command Statement on the Investigation into the Attack on the Motor Tanker Mercy Street". U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ "PowerPoint: Iranian UAV Attack Against MOTOR TANKER MERCER STREET 06 August 21" (PDF). U.S. Central Command. U.S. Central Command. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
- ^ Harkov, Lahav (7 August 2021). "US military releases evidence Iran was behind Gulf tanker attack". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Kaufman, Ellie; Hansler, Jennifer (6 August 2021). "Pentagon investigative team says Iran was behind attack on Mercer Street tanker | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Kingsley, Patrick; Bergman, Ronen (30 July 2021). "Israeli Officials Say Iran Is Behind Deadly Attack on Oil Tanker". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Hughes, David (4 August 2021). "Military chief: Iran made 'big mistake' in shipping attack which killed Briton". Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
- ^ a b Fodor, Simona (2 August 2021). "Mercer Street: Romania condemns tanker attack that left one national dead, asks Iran for explanations". Romania Insider.
- ^ Harkov, Lahav; Lazaroff, Tovah (1 August 2021). "Bennett: Israel will show Iran it made a serious mistake attacking ship". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ Gambrell, Jon (1 August 2021). "US, UK and Israel blame Iran for ship attack; Tehran denies". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
- ^ "Romania joins Israel, US and UK in blaming Iran for deadly attack on ship". The Times of Israel. 2 August 2021.
- ^ "G7 condemns Mercer Street attack: Iran 'threatening international peace'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "هجوم اليوم على السفينة الإسرائيلية جاء ردا على هجوم الاحتلال على مطار الضبعة - قناة العالم الاخبارية". www.alalam.ir (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Hafezi, Parisa (2 August 2021). Heinrich, Mark (ed.). "Iran says will respond firmly to any threat amid tension over attack on Israeli-managed tanker". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.