Blinken Says Iran Will Be Held ‘Accountable’ For Ship Attack

 

Iran denies it was responsible for the attack on the tanker Mercer Street that killed two crew members

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onAugust 9, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsIran, Israel

Speaking at the UN Security Council Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed a call for a collective response against Iran for the July 30th attack on the Israeli-linked tanker Mercer Street. The US has blamed Iran for the drone attack, which killed a Romanian and a British citizen, but Tehran denies the charge.

“Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this unjustified attack, which is part of a pattern of attacks and other provocative behavior,” Blinken said. “It is on all of our nations to hold accountable those responsible.  Failing to do so will only fuel their sense of impunity and embolden others inclined to disregard the maritime order.”

While denying responsibility for the attack, Iranian officials have pointed out the hypocrisy of Western countries who never call out Israel for its attacks on ships in the region. In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had attacked at least a dozen ships that were either Iranian or carrying Iranian fuel since 2019. The US also never condemns Israel for its covert attacks and assassinations inside Iran.

Despite the obvious hypocrisy, Blinken presented the idea of responding to the Mercer Street attack as upholding the so-called “rules-based international order,” a term that is commonly repeated by Biden administration officials.

On August 1st, Blinken released a statement vowing that some sort of response to the incident was coming. “We are working with our partners to consider our next steps and consulting with governments inside the region and beyond on an appropriate response, which will be forthcoming,” he said.

Since the Mercer Street was hit, Israeli officials have been trying to rally the world against Iran. Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel was ready to attack the Islamic Republic and called on other nations to join them. “We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran. The world needs to take action against Iran now,” he said.

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/08/09/blinken-says-iran-will-be-held-accountable-for-ship-attack/