Repeatedly accused in recent years of posing a threat to freedom of
\nnavigation, after being blamed for attacks on several ships, Iran is again at
\nthe centre of a tense episode. This time it’s about an attack that took place
\nin the Arabian Sea on 29th July on the Mercer Street oil tanker
\nmanaged by an Israeli citizen. Two crew members were killed in the attack, a
\nRomanian and a Briton. The vessel was sailing, empty of cargo, off the coast of
\nOman and the strike was carried out by drone in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
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\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Press agencies note that the incident marks a new chapter in the ongoing
\ntensions between Israel and Iran, following other acts of sabotage that
\nrecently targeted other ships. The United States, Israel and the UK blamed the
\nattack on Iran, who denies the allegations and says some countries intend to
\ncreate insecurity and chaos in the international arena by orchestrating such
\nmeasures. The European Union and NATO both strongly condemned the attack. Such acts contrary to the
\nsecurity and freedom of navigation in the region are unacceptable, said EU’s
\nspokeswoman on foreign affairs and security policy Nabila Massrali, adding that
\nthe circumstances of this attack must be clarified. A NATO spokesperson
\nrecalled that freedom of navigation is vital for all NATO Allies, and must be upheld in accordance with
\ninternational law and said NATO remains concerned about Iran’s destabilising
\nactions in the region, urging it to respect its international obligations. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
In the wake of the incident, Washington vowed
\ncollective response together with its allies and in London, prime minister
\nBoris Johnson said Iran must face up to the consequences of its actions. The
\nRomanian foreign ministry has been in contact with officials from Israel, the
\nUnited States and the UK, including high-ranking officials, and after the
\nconclusion began to form, based on initial assessments, that Iran may be behind
\nthe attack, the four countries said they were preparing a coordinated response.
\nIn a telephone conversation with the EU foreign policy chief, Romanian foreign
\nminister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated his strong condemnation of the attack
\nagainst a civilian target and the impact of this incident on the freedom of
\nnavigation in the region, in keeping with the international law in the field. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, representatives of the UK, Romania
\nand Liberia informed the UN Security Council that it is very likely that
\nIranian forces used one or more aerial vehicles to carry out the strike off the
\ncoast of Oman. This attack disrupted and
\nposed a risk to the safety and security of international shipping and was a
\nclear violation of international law, the countries said in the letter to
\nthe Council, adding: This act must be condemned by the international
\ncommunity. Also on Tuesday, the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional organisation
\nwhose members are all allies of the US or have tense relations with Tehran over
\nthe latter’s nuclear programme and for other political or religious reasons,
\nalso joined criticism of the attack and called on the international community
\nto act in order to put an end to the acts of aggression against navigation in
\nthis area. (CM)<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bucharest condemns drone strike last Thursday off the coast of Oman, when a Romanian was also killed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":89610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[29090,36341],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-89609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-strike","tag-tanker"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n