The captain of one of the oil tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday disputed part of the United States’ account of the attack on Friday.
“Our crew said that the ship was attacked by a flying object,” said Yutaka Katada, the president of ship operator Kokuka Sangyo.
The president of Japanese ship operator Kokuka Sangyo says its crew saw a “flying object” before the tanker attack near the Strait of Hormuz.
That account contradicts what U.S. officials say. More @business: https://t.co/ZuozOWrWQ0 pic.twitter.com/8ptqz55EIq
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) June 14, 2019
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attacks in the Gulf of Oman on the Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair.
The U.S. military released a video later Thursday that it says shows Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing a mine from a targeted oil tanker.
Katada, citing accounts from the ship’s crew, said: “I do not think there was a time bomb or an object attached to the side of the ship,” according to The New York Times.
Iran on Friday pushed back on U.S. claims about Tehran’s role in the attacks, calling the accusation “the simplest and the most convenient way for Pompeo and other U.S. officials.”
The attack comes weeks after alleged sabotage attacks against four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. The United States similarly blamed those attacks on Iran, pointing to limpet mines that officials said were Iranian.
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Oil tanker captain disputes part of US account of attack https://t.co/eD2v4CHPkA pic.twitter.com/AZ4ATM1G3P
— The Hill (@thehill) June 14, 2019
I didn't expect to ever see the day when the US SECSTATE and Iran's FM were both judged equally (in)credible by US Allies.
I'm pretty tired of all the #WINNING here.
PS the WH needs to show better pics if they want to be believed about #TankerAttacks. NGA has some, certainly.
— John Schindler (@20committee) June 14, 2019
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