Two oil tankers were attacked within the space of 45 minutes in the Gulf of Oman, off of the coast of Iran, where four oil tankers were similarly attacked last month by Iranian forces.
Addressing reporters at the State Department, Pompeo explained that the assessment of Iranian culpability was “based on intelligence, weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication.”
The tankers, one of which was operated by a Japanese company, were hit with torpedo-like projectiles near the water line, causing fires on-board that forced crew members to abandon ship. The attacks came shortly after Tehran rebuffed Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s attempts to deescalate military tensions between Iran and the U.S.
The incident disrupted global oil-supply chains and caused prices to increase sharply, since roughly one-third of the world’s oil flows the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has repeatedly threatened to close off the strait in retaliation for U.S. sanctions that have cut off most Iranian oil exports and devastated the country’s already-struggling economy.
