Diplomatic officials told Al Jazeera reporters that Britain, the United States, France, and some European countries plan to discuss an attack on an Israeli tanker off the coast of Oman on the 3rd of this month. At the same time, Iran warned Israel not to take any “stupid actions” against it. action”.
The UN Security Council will hold a private meeting on the 6th of this month. Diplomats don’t expect the Security Council to take any action on the accident that occurred a week ago that killed two crew members, including a British citizen. According to reports, Western countries blamed Iran for the accident.
Britain, Romania and Liberia reported to the Security Council on the 3rd that they believed that Iran had used at least one drone to launch an attack, but Iran strongly denied this.
The United States, Britain, and Israel have jointly accused Iran of launching this attack, which is likely to be carried out by drones. The United States promised to coordinate a “collective response” against Iran.
According to London-based Zodiac Maritime, after the attack on its Mercer Street tanker, Israel called for international action against Iran. It needs to be pointed out that the owner of this company is Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
Retaliatory action
No party claimed responsibility for the attack, but Dryad Global, a company focused on maritime security, talked about “new retaliation in the secret war between Iran and Israel.”
Israel has previously accused Iran of being behind the attacks on Israeli-related ships in the past few months, especially in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
On the other hand, Iran accused Israel of being behind the “destructive attack” against Iranian cargo ships in the Mediterranean in March this year. At that time, Iran pointed out that “everything led people to believe” that Israel was behind the action.
In April this year, Iran announced that its ship “Saviz” was damaged by an explosion in the Red Sea.
At that time, Iran did not accuse any party, but according to the New York Times, it was Israel that took the action in response to “Iran’s previous attacks on Israeli ships.”
Iran has previously accused Israel of supporting the destruction of its nuclear facilities and the assassination of its scientists.
“Don’t test us”
A spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Israel on the 5th not to take any “stupid actions” against it. Earlier, Israel had threatened Iran and accused Iran of being behind the attack.
Said Khatibzad, the spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tweeted, “We have made it clear that any stupid action against Iran will be resolutely responded. Don’t test us!”
Khatibzad believes that “Israeli entities shamelessly threatened Iran with military actions in the latest flagrant violation of international law… This evil act stems from the blind support of the West for it.”
Israeli threat
Earlier on the 5th, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened a military strike against Iran and emphasized that this is no longer just a challenge to Israel, but has become a regional and global issue.
During a meeting with several ambassadors in Tel Aviv, Gantz linked his position to a series of recent incidents in the region, including the attack on the “Mercer Street” oil tanker owned by an Israeli company in the Gulf of Oman. In addition, there are rockets launched from southern Lebanon to Israel, as well as tensions on the northern Israeli front.
Gantz said that it only takes about 10 weeks for Iran to obtain the materials needed to manufacture nuclear weapons. He also accused Said Alajani, the head of the “drone” department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, for being behind the attack in the Gulf region. Black hand.
According to Gantz, all of these represent Iran’s attempts to challenge Israel in multiple areas. He also pointed out that Iran intends to build military forces in Lebanon and Gaza, and supports and deploys militia forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. .
Soon after the statement was made, Hussein Salami, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, inspected the military units in the Strait of Hormuz and the preparations of military bases along the southern coast of Iran.
The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards stressed that those “enemies threatening Iran” should be aware that Iran’s response will be severe and extensive.
He also added that Zionist entities should be aware of the seriousness of their threats and statements and reconsider them.
The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards also confirmed that Iran’s missile systems, drones, navy and land forces are ready to take action at any time to strike any targets aimed at Iran’s security.
British position
As the international community’s stance against Iran escalated, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab expressed dissatisfaction with Iran and called on Iran to make more efforts to build trust with international partners.
Raab called on the UN Security Council to respond to “Iran’s disrespect of international law and its destabilizing practices.”
Raab further warned Iran not to continue activities that “destabilize the region” and emphasized that this will lead to Iran being held accountable.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the United States will continue to coordinate its diplomatic measures with its partners to deal with the threat from Iran.
Iran’s response
On the other hand, Iran’s ambassador to London, Mohsin Bahlund, emphasized in a letter to the International Maritime Organization that Iran is committed to ensuring the safety of maritime shipping and believes that this is in the interests of Iran and the international community.
The Iranian ambassador also said that some countries have taken dangerous actions and held a biased position. He also added that these countries use threatening language against Iran, which is not in accordance with international law and will undermine the safety of maritime shipping.
Iran has always denied the authenticity of regional and Western claims that Iran wants to build nuclear weapons, and stated that its nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes.
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