Gulf of Oman crisis: Japan asks US to provide clear evidence
The Japanese government has asked the US to provide specific evidence to prove Washington's assertion that Iran was behind the attack on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13.
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| Smoke billows from an oil tanker believed to have been attacked off the coast of the Gulf of Oman on June 13. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN) |
According to Kyodo news agency, the Japanese government has asked the US to provide specific evidence to prove Washington's assertion that Iran was behind the attack on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on June 13.
In the incident on June 13, the Front Altair oil tanker of the Norwegian shipping company caught fire after being attacked while en route from Qatar to Taiwan (China).
Shortly after, the Kokuka Courageous oil tanker operated by Tokyo-based Kokuka Sangyo Company also caught fire while en route from a Saudi Arabian port to Singapore and Thailand.
Kokuka Sangyo Chairman Yutaka Katada said the crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw a “flying object” before the explosion on board. All 21 Filipino crew members were safely evacuated and returned to the ship to assist in towing the ship back to port.
The incident occurred at the same time that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Iran to seek to mediate tensions between Iran and the US.
Hours after the incident, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for attacking the two oil tankers, but did not provide evidence.
According to Mr. Pompeo, the US made this assessment based on "intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise required to carry out this action and Iran's available resources in this area."
The US Department of Defense later released a video that allegedly showed an Iranian patrol boat removing a mine from the side of the Japanese oil tanker Kokuka Courageous.
Iran has firmly rejected the US accusations, calling them "baseless".
According to Kyodo, Japanese government officials remain skeptical of the US assessment. A senior Japanese government official said that the US explanation has not helped overcome speculation and is not concrete evidence that Iran was behind this incident.
Japan is currently seeking clear evidence through various channels. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono is likely to ask the US to provide evidence in a phone call with his US counterpart Pompeo on June 21./.
