Two Oil Tankers attacked in Gulf of Oman near Iranian Coast - False Flag?

[Ca.]

Former USS Cole Commander pushes retaliatory jargon on circumstantial evidence.

Iranian vessel removed mine from damaged oil tanker, US officials say

www.foxnews.com

Video / 02:50
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Iranian vessel removed unexploded mine from stricken oil tanker in Gulf of Oman, US officials say

An Iranian vessel removed an unexploded mine that had been attached to a Japanese-owned oil tanker that suffered serious damage after an explosion in the Gulf of Oman early Thursday, U.S. officials told Fox News, as the U.S. Navy released video purportedly showing the incident. The imagery came from the USS Bainbridge, a guided-missile destroyer that rescued 21 sailors from the stricken tanker.

At least one other mine attached to the tanker's hull detonated, causing the blast. It happened near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil shipments in the region. A U.S. official told Fox News an Iranian gunboat approached the Kokuka Courageous later in the day and removed the unexploded triangular-shaped limpet mine, the same type of mine used to damage four other tankers in the Gulf of Oman last month.

Associated Press
Updated 4:28 a.m. today

Snip:
The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack," without elaborating.

Thursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don't sink, a vessel.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists on Thursday that the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region, which the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time.

"Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He didn't elaborate and took no questions.

Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

Meanwhile:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1137829684253732864

https://twitter.com/x/status/1139346296341508096

 

[Gawan]

There is as always the question: Cui bono? Again and again it is definitely not the country the US of A speaks of, that is the culprit. And it is insane that the USA can still come up with the same old lies and stories.

Here is a short summary of seven reasons why Iran is not the attacker:

1. Pompeo is a known liar, especially when it comes to Iran.

2. The US empire is known to use lies and false flags to start wars.

3. John Bolton has openly endorsed lying to advance military agendas.

4. Using false flags to start a war with Iran is already an established idea in the DC swamp.

5. The US State Department has already been running psyops to manipulate the public Iran narrative.

6. The Gulf of Oman narrative makes no sense.

7. Even if Iran did perpetrate the attack, Pompeo would still be lying.

The full article with explanations of the seven points can be found on Sott.

And now the USA presents also some "facts":

 

[Aeneas]

So the US releases 'evidence' in the form of a grainy video as usual, saying that it depicts Iranian sailors removing an unexploded mine from the ship. What is strange however is that according to this article on Zerohedge, then a US drone and a US PS-8 aircraft had already been at the scene for 4 hours. A bit amateurish of the Iranians to come four hours late to remove evidence, but that is what they want us to believe. A bit like the 'Palestinian' rocket attack in the desert of Israel which then gives the Israelis the excuse to turn the terror and brutality up a notch while the West nods approvingly.
Why did they not take sharp pictures and video of this key piece of evidence(the socalled unexploded mine)? But no, the Iranians came after 4 hours and in full daylight removed the evidence according to the most grainy video possible.

ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

The anonymous US sources which spoke to CNN suggested the Iranians were actually "removing evidence" and not engaged in a rescue attempt, as the Iranians previously stated:

The official said the imagery shows a person on board that small boat grabbing the unexploded mine.
The boat made the move even after the USS Bainbridge, as well as a US drone and P-8 aircraft, had been on the scene for four hours. US defense officials believe that the Iranians were seeking to recover evidence of their involvement in the attack.

Could those anonymous sources by chance be of Israeli origin?

And Trump has bought it hook line and sinker, as he just points to the grainy video as proof. Trump may well have looked too much and too deep into the abyss and been sucked into it.

‘Iran written all over it’: Trump accuses Tehran of carrying out tanker attacks

US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of being behind the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, claiming that the evidence points squarely towards Tehran.

www.rt.com

‘Iran written all over it’: Trump accuses Tehran of carrying out tanker attacks
Published time: 14 Jun, 2019 12:10Edited time: 14 Jun, 2019 12:59
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© Reuters/ISNA/Handout; Reuters/Leah Millis

US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of being behind the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, claiming that the evidence points squarely towards Tehran.
Speaking about the attacks with Fox News on Friday morning, Trump said the evidence gathered by the US about them has “essentially got Iran written all over it.”

Mark Knoller
✔@markknoller

https://twitter.com/x/status/1139504427730161671

“Iran did do it," says Pres Trump of the attack on 2 fuel tankers in the Gulf of Oman. He said the evidence "got Iran written all over it," citing pictures of Iranians retrieving unexploded mine from hull of one tanker.
19
2:06 PM - Jun 14, 2019
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Trump made the comments when asked on the Fox and Friends show what evidence Washington had found to prove Iran was behind the attacks, and what the US response would be. The president pointed to footage of the reportedly “exposed”Iranian authorities removing an unexploded mine from one of the evacuated vessels overnight.
“You saw the boat at night trying to take the mine off and they successfully took it off,” Trump said, adding that Iran didn’t want to leave any evidence behind. “I guess they don’t know that we have things that...can detect in the dark.”

---
Trump says it was removed at night, but is he mixing up the timezones (night for him in DC)? The attack happened very early in the morning 6:12am and 7:00am, so if those grainy images were taken in the evening after dark, then Iran must have waited more than 12 hours to appear on those grainy video images. Sunset in Muscat, Oman is currently at 6:53pm. Something is not adding up. Perhaps a new batch of coolaid that was past the due by date or extra spiced. Alternatively he has read too much of the Qanon fairytales.

 

[Eulenspiegel]

In the history of false flag attacks, this got to be one of the most obvious...they must be really desperate to believe that people are buying this "Iran did it!" narrative.

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1139557721273970693

Insurance costs for ships sailing through the Middle East have increased by at least 10% after attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, with the potential for costs to rise further as regional tensions escalate, ship insurers said.

The attacks have already stoked concerns about reduced flows of crude oil on one of the world's key shipping routes, pushing up oil prices by as much as 4.5%.

Some tanker companies have already suspended new bookings to the Middle East Gulf.

Freight rates for supertankers transporting oil from the Middle East Gulf to Asia were already close to a two-month high on Thursday at nearly $13,000 a day, up nearly $2,000 from Wednesday.

Every ship needs various forms of insurance, including annual war-risk cover as well as an additional 'breach' premium when entering high-risk areas. These separate premiums are calculated according to the value of the ship, or hull, for a seven-day period.

Ship insurers say the biggest vessels sailing through the Gulf area face additional costs of up to $200,000 for a single seven-day voyage, roughly twice as expensive as earlier this week.

"The facts on the ground have changed. If any of those tankers sink, you will see a rise across the board in the annual war premiums," one underwriter said.

"This is not the first incident, and what we are seeing (with rates going up) reflects the worsening situation in the area."

On May 17 the London insurance market's Joint War Committee extended the list of waters deemed high risk to include Oman, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf after separate ship attacks off Fujairah.

High Risk Zone

Washington has blamed Iran or its proxies for attacks on May 12 that crippled four oil tankers in the same area. It also said Tehran was behind May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations. Tehran has denied all the allegations.

"War-risk premiums have already gone up since the decision by the Joint War Committee to extend the high-risk zone and they are now in the double digits," said Marcus Baker, global head of the marine practice at insurance broker Marsh.

About a fifth of the oil consumed globally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, shipped from Gulf energy producers, including Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for the attacks after the U.S. military released a video it said showed Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were behind Thursday's attacks.

Iran has said it is alarming and wrong of Washington to blame Tehran for the attacks.

Jonathan Moss, head of transport and shipping with law firm DWF, said the extent of geopolitical turmoil had not been seen since the U.S. war in Iraq in 2003, when underwriters increased premiums on fears of claims arising from collisions, groundings and attacks on ships and oil facilities.

"This coming year will see a drive by insurers to raise premiums in the face of a cocktail of instability in the region," Moss said.

Rate increases for hull, machinery and war risks are likely to be between 10% and 20%, he added. "Once again the international shipping industry finds itself caught in the middle of a geopolitical conflict over which it has no control," tanker association

https://twitter.com/x/status/1139504045457072128

US security services and Israeli intelligence agency Mossad may be behind the recent destabilization in the Persian and Oman gulfs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, a senior foreign policy adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker, said amid the oil tanker incident in these waters.

“US security services&Mossad main suspects for insecuring #PersianGulf/#OmanSea oil export. KSA,UAE,Bahrain stupidity fan the flame of violence in region. #Iran powerfully protects national interests&regional stability, disappoint regional security’s enemies & retreat #WhiteHouse,” Amir-Abdollahian tweeted late Thursday.

Earlier on Friday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the United States was taking steps to undermine stability in the Middle East and the whole world.

Tensions between the United States and Iran reached new levels after two oil tankers exploded on Thursday near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

While the circumstances around the incident remain unclear, Washington has already pinned the blame on Iran, claiming it has intelligence data to back the assertion. The United States has even announced that its USS Mason destroyer was on its way to the Gulf of Oman. Tehran has, meanwhile, rebuffed all accusations. Source: Sputnik

https://twitter.com/x/status/1139552444340420608

Iran has rejected as "unfounded" US claims that it is responsible for the recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, warning of "another Iranophobic campaign" being waged by Washington and its allies.

"The inflammatory remarks by the US representative against Iran at the UN Security Council on 13 June 2019 was another Iranophobic campaign. Iran categorically rejects the US' unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," said the Iranian mission to the UN in a statement on Thursday.

"Neither fabrications and disinformation campaigns nor shamelessly blaming others can change the realities. The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots as well as false flag operations in the region.

Warning, once again, about all of the US coercion, intimidation, and malign behavior, Iran expresses concern over suspicious incidents for the oil tankers that occurred today," the statement added.

On Thursday morning, Iranian rescuers rushed to the assistance of the two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, transferring all of their 44 crew members to Iran's southern shores.

Referring to Washington's sanctions against Tehran following the former's unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement with world powers, the statement said, "The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security."

The statement also called on "the international community to live up to its responsibilities in preventing the reckless and dangerous policies and practices of the US and its regional allies in heightening the tensions in the region."

It added that the recent developments in the region "serve as proof of the urgency" of engaging in "dialogue based on mutual respect" between "all regional countries... based on mutual respect, inclusivity and basic principles of international law."

"Reiterating its longstanding position on the need for promoting peace and security in the broader Persian Gulf region, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security of strategic maritime passages as well as promoting peace, stability and security in the region," the statement said in conclusion.

'B Team turning to sabotage diplomacy'

In a series of tweets on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US allegations against Iran over the attacks on oil tankers in the Sea of Oman were part of "sabotage diplomacy" adopted by the "B Team," which he uses to refer to US National Security Adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1139324559386013696

 

[Aeneas]

It appears that the Japanese state media's presentation of things is not supporting the US allegations according to this article on Fort Russ:

BREAKING: Pompeo's FALSE FLAG REFUTED by Japanese Media Authority - Tanker hit by flying object, not mine - confirms onsite worker - Fort Russ

TOKYO (with NHK) – June 14, 2019 – The Japanese state news agency NHK has revealed that workers on the tanker saw a plane flying toward the tanker before the explosion. United States is pinning the blame for the tanker attacks on Iran. Tehran denies the accusation. The Japanese state media...

www.fort-russ.com

BREAKING: Pompeo’s FALSE FLAG REFUTED By Japanese Media Authority – Tanker Hit By Flying Object, Not Mine – Confirms Onsite Worker

TOKYO (with NHK) – The Japanese state news agency NHK has revealed that workers on the tanker saw a plane flying toward the tanker before the explosion. United States is pinning the blame for the tanker attacks on Iran. Tehran denies the accusation.
The Japanese state media agency has taken the line: “Tanker hit by flying object, not mine”, in quoting Japanese workers on the vessel. Now the Japanese operator of one of the tankers is providing new details about what happened, in a major revelation which refutes the claims of the U.S’s Mike Pompeo.
The president of the Tokyo-based shipping firm Kokuka Sangyo says its tanker was hit by an incoming projectile. He says several crew members witnessed the source of the second blast. Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo said,

“I’ve received reports that they saw something come flying toward them, then there was an explosion, and then there was a hole in the vessel.”

He denied that the tanker was hit by a floating mine, torpedo or an attached explosive as had been previously reported. He said the damage was way above sea level.
This version of events entirely refutes the claims made by the U.S’s Mike Pompeo, who says that Iranian mines are to blame:

“This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high-degree of sophistication,”

Pompeo for his part has not released any evidence to back his claims.
“Kokuka Courageous” and another tanker owned by a Norwegian shipping company were attacked on Thursday in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route, as reported by FRN.
Crew-members from both vessels were rescued, but one person was injured. The Japanese tanker is now on its way to the United Arab Emirates.

The US is blaming Iran. Its military has released a video which allegedly shows the country’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers. It’s believed to be a limpet mine which can be detonated remotely.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication.”

Tehran is denying any involvement. The Iranian Foreign Minister tweeted that the US is making allegations without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence, accusing the US of “sabotage diplomacy.”
The UN Security Council held an emergency closed-door meeting on Thursday at the request of the US.
Acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen said, “I’ve asked the Security Council to remain seized of this matter. And I expect that we will have further conversations about it on how to respond in the days ahead.”

Kuwait’s ambassador, currently the rotating president of the Council, told reporters that they “didn’t discuss any evidence” that may have shown Iran was behind the action.

The attacks came as Japan’s prime minister was in Iran to try and ease tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Experts speculate that the U.S was behind the attack, and pushed it through in order to sour Japan-Iran relations, and to create a cause for war or further hostile action against the Islamic Republic.
In Tokyo, Japanese ministers are debating what to do next. Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii said, “We do not know details of the attack, including who is responsible. we are gathering information from the people concerned and we have alerted the Japanese vessels sailing in the region through a related business association.”
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said, ” At this moment, we haven’t been asked to send Japan’s Self Defense Forces. So, we don’t have a plan to send the units to the region near the Strait of Hormuz to respond to this incident.”
Iwaya added that Japanese citizens are not at risk right now, but if that changes the government would make a different judgment.

NHK’s position in itself reveals that Japan-US relations are strained, as Japanese authorities would neither encourage NHK nor allow workers of the vessel to make public reportage and claims which contradict those of Pompeo and the American administration.
The manner in which the Japanese media-intelligence sphere has handled this event so far lends credence to Japanese Prime Minister Abe’s claim that his mission to Tehran was to look for real solutions, and not to deliver a list proposed or desired by the United States.

 

[Aeneas]

Very convenient timing this 'attack', as it appears to have stopped a possible ban of weapons sales to US allies in the Middle East:

ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

A brief report from AntiWar.com's Eric Garris suggests Thursday's tanker attack incident in the Gulf of Oman which the United States promptly blamed on Iran has directly impacted bills placed before the Senate which would ban US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar.

Garris wrote of the vote which came hours after the Gulf tankers incident: "Both votes were considered highly likely to pass up until they were rushed to the floor today. The timing appears almost certainly to have been related to Thursday tanker bombings in the Gulf of Oman, and shifted a number of Senators’ votes in favor of continuing the arms sales." He noted that "some senators switched sides to kill the bills" following news of the tanker attacks.

Sen. Rand Paul has led the fight to ban US weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies. Image source: Getty
The vote, according to Defense News, indeed came very close:

The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected Sen. Rand Paul’s measures to block sales of munitions to Bahrain and Boeing AH–64E Apache helicopters to Qatar.
The vote on Bahrain was 43-56 and Qatar 42-57, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., announced their opposition Thursday. The White House earlier this week threatened to veto the measures.

The Kentucky Republican and prominent Libertarian argued passionately that the US should not be supporting authoritarian governments who are known backers of extremists and who are conducting mass atrocities in Yemen. Sen. Paul has repeatedly called on Congress and the White House to "stop arming radical jihadism".

“Dumping more weapons into the Middle East won’t get us any closer to peace,” Paul said. “A ‘yes’ vote today is a vote for sanity. A ‘yes’ vote is a vote to quit sending arms to people who abuse human rights.”







Paul especially targeted Saudi Arabia in his floor remarks, according to Defense News:

“What are they doing with all the weapons we give them? They’re bombing civilians in Yemen,” he said. “They have been using our bombs and up until recently they were refueling their bombers with our planes. We’ve got no business in the war in Yemen. Congress never voted on it. It is unauthorized, it is unconstitutional and we have no business aiding the Saudis in this massacre.”

Meanwhile the White House has defended its threat to veto on the grounds that such gulf nations remain crucial "security partners" and places where US troops and naval assets are stationed.

The idea of a block on US arms sales to Saudi Arabia — though long a little noted project of libertarians and non-interventionists — gained unprecedented momentum and visibility following last year's brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by a Saudi hit team at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul.

The Front Altair oil tanker on fire in the Gulf of Oman on June 13. AP Photo/ISNA
However, at a moment the push to block arms to despotic gulf nations was gaining broad public support, the new flare-up in the Persian Gulf based on Thursday's mysterious twin tanker attacks has likely now caused such efforts to be shelved for the foreseeable future.

 

[Ca.]

CUI BONO? Ex Intel Boss Kedmi: Why Would Iran Do Something That Stupid?

Russia Insight Published on Jun 19, 2019 / 10:40

https://twitter.com/x/status/1141687646164594688

https://twitter.com/x/status/1141733842954461184

https://twitter.com/x/status/1141736964426797057

https://twitter.com/x/status/1141706079786668034

 

[Ocean]

British ships told to avoid Gulf after Iran seized two UK oil tankers with dozens of crew

British ships told to avoid Gulf after Iran seized two UK oil tankers with dozens of crew on board just 43 minutes apart in major escalation.

ALL British ships have been told to steer clear of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized two oil tankers with dozens of crew on board less than an hour apart.

The warning followed an emergency meeting of the Government's Cobra committee to discuss the dramatic escalation in tensions in the Gulf.



Troops in speedboats and helicopters boarded the Stena Impero and Mesdar tankers on Friday as they sailed through the busy shipping lane towards Saudi Arabia.

The raids came just over two weeks after Royal Marines boarded a supertanker off Gibraltar suspected of carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria - prompting Tehran to threaten "retaliation".


British-flagged Stena Impero was sailing to the Saudi port of Jubail but ship tracking data shows it veered off course with a sharp turn north at around 4.17pm UK time.

The Impero was surrounded by four vessels and a helicopter and forced to divert to Iran.

Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose - which last week chased away Iranian troops trying to board a BP tanker - tried to steam to the rescue but was around ten minutes too late, according to The Times.

The Impero was taken to an Iranian port along with its 23 crew. It is thought no British citizens were on board either ship.
An Iranian official, cited by the country's Fars news agency, has since claimed the Impero was in an accident with a fishing boat before being detained.

"It got involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing boat... When the boat sent a distress call, the British-flagged ship ignored it," said the head of Ports and Maritime Organisation in southern Hormozgan province, Allahmorad Afifipour.

Less than an hour later at around 5pm the Mesdar - Liberian-flagged but operated by the UK firm Norbulk Shipping UK - also turned sharply north towards Iran's coast.

It was surrounded by ten speedboats after passing through the Strait on its way to Ras Tanura.

Iran later denied it had seized the Mesdar, saying it had allowed the vessel to continue its journey after armed guards boarded and issued a warning on environmental standards.

And Norbulk confirmed last night: "Communication has been re-established with the vessel and Master confirmed that the armed guards have left and the vessel is free to continue the voyage.

"All crew are safe and well."
Defence Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned of 'serious consequences' for Iran
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says that if the situation with Iran is not resolved quickly there will be 'serious consequences'

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1152282954749665280

https://twitter.com/x/status/1152307683971739649