Reuters reported that the US Navy is supporting an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker that was fatally attacked off the coast of Oman on Thursday, according to the US military. The ship was most likely targeted by a drone strike, the military said.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is presently escorting the Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned vessel, according to a statement from the US Central Command.
“US Navy explosives experts are aboard to ensure there is no additional danger to the crew, and are prepared to support an investigation into the attack,” said the Central Command.
“Initial indications clearly point to a UAV-style (drone) attack,” it added
On Friday, Israel’s foreign minister blamed Iran for the strike, which killed the lives of two crew members of British and Romanian origin.
On Friday, US and European intelligence officials said Iran was their primary suspect in the attack, which a US military official said seemed to have been carried out by a drone, but they underlined that their countries were still looking for convincing proof.
Iran has not yet issued an official response to the allegations.
Zodiac Maritime, an Israeli company, is in charge of the vessel. The firm claimed on Friday that the vessel was traveling to a secure area with a US military escort under the management of its crew and under its own power.
In recent months, Iran and Israel have swapped allegations of targeting one other’s ships.
The medium-size tanker was on its way from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to Refinitiv ship monitoring.
