Saudi Arabia has blamed Iran for attacks on two oil and chemical tankers in the Gulf of Oman waters but stopped short of declaring a conflict. Regional tension has pushed up oil prices.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview with a Saudi newspaper published on Sunday that the kingdom does not want a war in the region but called on the international community to take a “decisive stand”.
Attacks on two oil tankers on Thursday, which the United States blamed on Iran, have escalated fears of broader conflict in the Middle East, sending oil prices higher.
Brent crude ended trade on Friday at $62.04 per barrel, rising from around the $60 per barrel mark before the attacks. Additionally, insurance costs for ships sailing through the Middle East have also jumped by at least 10 per cent after the attacks, Reuters said, quoting ship insurers.
Iran has denied any role in the attacks that took place near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s crude passes.
The explosions that damaged the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
“The Iranian regime did not respect the Japanese prime minister’s visit to Tehran and while he was there replied to his efforts by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese,” said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“The kingdom does not want a war in the region but it will not hesitate to deal with any threats to its people, its sovereignty, or its vital interests,” he said.
A statement by the UAE’s state news agency quoted the foreign minister as saying a state actor was involved but there was insufficient evidence to point to any particular country.
U.S. military released a drone video on Thursday of one of the attacked ships, saying that it showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were behind the blasts that struck the two crude and petrochemical carriers.
While Britain has backed U.S. claim that Iran was behind the attack, Germany said the video was not enough evidence to draw a conclusion.
Last month, the United States sharply tightened economic sanctions against Iran, which in response has threatened to step up its nuclear activity and said it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the main route out for Middle Eastern oil, if its own exports were completely halted.
