WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US military said on Tuesday that an analysis of the debris showed a drone of the same type supplied by Tehran to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine was used to attack a commercial oil tanker off the coast of Oman last week.
The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain has released images and details of its investigation into the attack that targeted the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon tanker, including some of the wreckage of the Shahed 136 drone itself.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement that the drone blew a 30-inch (76-centimeter) wide hole in the ship’s stern and that the blast damaged an onboard boiler, a potable water storage and a marine anchor. salvation.
“The Iranian attack on a commercial tanker sailing in international waters was deliberate, brazen and dangerous, endangering the lives of the ship’s crew and destabilizing maritime security in the Middle East,” said Brad Cooper, senior commander of the United States Navy in the Middle East, to the rank of vice admiral, the statement said.
In recent years, the waters of the Gulf have witnessed attacks on oil tankers at times of escalating regional tension with Iran. In July 2021, a suspected drone struck an oil product tanker operated by an Israeli company off the coast of Oman. Iran has denied allegations that it attacked the tanker.
