JUST IN: Sec. of State Mike Pompeo: 'It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today.'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on THursday said Iran is responsible for the attack on two commercial tanker ships sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Oman earlier in the day.
The attacks come at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran after an American aircraft carrier was deployed to the Middle East in what the U.S. said was an effort to deter possible Iranian attacks against U.S. forces or interests in the region. "A Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft is also providing support," a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command said.
The mariners from the Courageous are currently aboard the Bainbridge being cared for as the destroyer remains at that location. A spokesperson for BSM Ship Management, which own the Courageous, said the crew was from the Philippines, and they have notified their families that they are safe aboard the U.S. Navy ship.
According to the Associated Press, both ships were bound for Japan when they were attacked, the Front Altair was carrying a cargo of naptha, a flammable hydrocarbon and the Kokuka Courageous was carrying a cargo of methanol.The attacks come almost a month after four commercial freighters were damaged by explosive sabotage attacks off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
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