US military experts blame Iran for ship attacks in Persian Gulf
- Official says Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies are believed to have used explosives to blow large holes in four ships anchored off United Arab Emirates coast
- Incident comes days after US sent warships and bombers to area in response to alleged threats from Iran
An American military team’s initial assessment is that Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies used explosives on Sunday to blow large holes in four ships anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a US official said on Monday.
The official said each ship has a 1.5- to 3-metre (5- to 10-foot) hole in it, near or just below the water line, and the team’s early belief is that the holes were caused by explosive charges. The team of US military experts was sent to investigate the damages at the request of the UAE, but American officials have not provided any details about what exactly happened or any proof as yet about the possible Iranian involvement in the explosions.
The official was not authorised to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Gulf officials have characterised the damage to the tankers as sabotage. Two Saudi oil tankers, a Norwegian-flagged vessel, and a bunkering tanker flagged in Sharjah, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, all suffered similar damage on Sunday.