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. 'It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the
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.
One ship reportedly was on fire and the other suffered damage. Meanwhile, 21 mariners from one of the ships were taken aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer after having abandoned the damaged ship, which U.S. sailors reported to have spotted an unexploded mine attached to its hull, a U.S. official told ABC News. The 23 mariners from the other vessel were taken to Iran.
“We are aware of the reported attack on shipping vessels in the Gulf of Oman,” said Cmdr. Josh Frey, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. “U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time and a second one at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance.”
A nearby Dutch tug picked up the mariners and then transferred them to the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge that had been in the vicinity and also responded to the distress call, according to an official. The crew of the Bainbridge spotted an unexploded mine attached to the side of the Kokuka Courageous, another official said.
The Seoul-based Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. confirmed in a statement that its ship the Hyundai Dubai had rescued the 23 mariners from the MT Front Altair and then turned them over to an Iranian rescue boat.
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