US Military and G7 Blame Iran for Attack on Israeli-Linked Tanker

 

Iran denies it was responsible for the attack

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onAugust 6, 2021CategoriesNewsTagsIran, Israel

US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a statement Friday blaming Iran for the July 29th attack on the Israeli-linked tanker Mercer Street. The attack was carried out by a drone and killed two crewmembers, but Iran maintains it was not responsible for the incident.

CENTCOM said in total, three Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were used in the attack, but only one hit the Mercer Street. Based on the debris of one UAV, CENTCOM said that “US experts” determined that it was “produced in Iran,” but pictures released by CENTCOM show that little debris was recovered.

The CENTCOM report says the conclusion is only based on the fact that a vertical fin recovered at the scene is similar to fins on Iranian-designed UAVs. “US Experts concluded, based on the vertical fin being identical to those identified on one of the Iranian designed and produced one-way attack ‘kamikaze’ UAV family, that Iran was actively involved in this attack,” the report says.

Even if the drone was Iranian-made, it doesn’t necessarily mean Tehran was behind the attack. There are many Shia militias in Iraq and Syria with Iranian arms that have plenty of motive to attack Israel since the Israelis are constantly bombing and killing their fighters in Syria.

The Group of Seven also joined in on blaming Iran for the attack. The G7 is a coalition of seven governments; the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The G7’s foreign minister released a joint statement condemning the incident.

“We condemn the unlawful attack committed on a merchant vessel. This was a deliberate and targeted attack, and a clear violation of international law … All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack,” the statement said.

Israel has been trying to rally other countries to get behind the idea of attacking Iran over the Mercer Street. On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel was prepared to launch a military strike against the Islamic Republic. “We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran,” he said. “The world needs to take action against Iran now.”

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/08/06/us-military-and-g7-blame-iran-for-attack-on-israeli-linked-tanker/