Tanker attacks: world divided over Iran’s role as Saudi crown prince breaks silence
- Attacks have raised fears of confrontation in vital oil shipping route of Strait of Hormuz at time of increased tensions between Iran and United States
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused arch-rival Iran of attacks on oil tankers in a vital Gulf shipping channel, adding he “won’t hesitate” to tackle any threats to the kingdom, according to an interview published on Sunday.
Two tankers were struck by explosions on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, the second attack in a month in the strategic shipping lane amid a tense US-Iran stand-off, sparking fears of a regional conflagration and sending oil prices soaring.
Salman urged the international community to take a “decisive stand”.
“We do not want a war in the region … But we won’t hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity and our vital interests,” Prince Mohammed told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, in his first public comments since the attacks.
“The Iranian regime did not respect the presence of the Japanese prime minister as a guest in Tehran and responded to his (diplomatic) efforts by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese.”