The Kremlin is warning against “baseless accusations” over last week’s attacks in the Gulf of Oman on two oil tankers, blamed by Washington and Riyadh on Iran.
“Such incidents can undermine the foundations of the world economy. That’s why it’s hardly possible to accept baseless accusations in this situation,” says Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
“We always urge a sober appraisal of the situation and to wait for more or less convincing evidence to appear,” Peskov says on Russian television, extracts of which are published by the RIA Novosti news agency.
A Japanese and a Norwegian oil tanker were targeted in attacks last week in the Gulf of Oman. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019, reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from a tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. (ISNA/AFP)
The official Iranian news agency IRNA said the attacks took place within 30 nautical miles of Iran’s coastline. Iran rejected US accusations it was to blame, with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeting that the US had “immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence,”
Saudi Arabia, Iran’s arch-rival in the region and the world’s top oil exporter, joined Washington in accusing Tehran of the attacks, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman saying he “won’t hesitate” to tackle any threats to the kingdom.
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