Defense chief says attack was not just âUS situationâ, as UK joins Washington in accusing Iran and Saudi Arabia calls for ârapidâ response An oil tanker is seen after it was attacked at the Gulf of Oman this week. Photograph: HANDOUT/Reuters The US is hoping to âbuild international consensusâ around what officials claim is Iranâs responsibility for damaging two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, as UK officials joined the US in formally accusing Iran of carrying out the attacks. The efforts come after the US released grainy surveillance footage of an alleged Iran Revolutionary Guard patrol boat, with men who appear to remove a magnetic limpet mine on the hull of one of the ships. The acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, said the US was looking to âbuild international consensus to this international problemâ on Friday. The attack was not only a âUS situationâ, Shanahan said. He listed several other countries that operated vessels in the waters. âWhen you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, Japanese ship, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE,â Shanahan said, referring to attacks a few weeks prior. Oil prices have risen 3.4% following the attack, which came in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel for international oil supplies. Insurance for ship operators in the area jumped 10%. Saudi Arabia, one of the worldâs largest oil producers, also uses the Strait. On Saturday, the Saudi energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, said âthere must be a rapid and decisive response to the threatâ to secure Gulf energy supplies and consumer confidence, according to a tweet from the ministry. The message was echoed by the Japanese industry minister, Hiroshige Seko, who said ministers agreed on the need to âwork together to deal with the recent incidents from [an] energy security point of viewâ. The U.S. military released a video on Thursday, saying it showed Iranâs Revolutionary Guards were behind the explosions that damaged the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. The UK officially joined the US in accusing Iran of perpetrating the attack on Friday night, in a statement from the Foreign Office saying: âIt is almost certain that a branch of the Iranian military â the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps â attacked the two tankers on 13 June. No other state or non-state actor could plausibly have been responsible.â The statement continued: âThere is recent precedent for attacks by Iran against oil tankers. The Emirati-led investigation of the 12 May attack on four oil tankers near the port of Fujairah [in the UAE] concluded that it was conducted by a sophisticated state actor. We are confident that Iran bears responsibility for that attack.â Although Donald Trump claimed the attacks had âIran written all overâ them, other heads of state have been more cautious in assigning blame. The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, called for an independent investigation. âItâs very important to know the truth and itâs very important that responsibilities are clarified. Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts,â Guterres told reporters on Friday. The German foreign minister was also cautious, saying the video released by US Central Command was ânot enoughâ to make an assessment, according to ABC News. Several world powers have meanwhile called for diplomatic efforts to lower tensions, including China and Russia, which have closer ties to Iran. The European Union called for âmaximum restraintâ. Iran, meanwhile, has denied responsibility for the attack. Iranâs ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, said the claims were like âfalse fabrications during world war I, the Vietnam war and Iraq war that were designed to instigate military interventions and armed conflicts in different parts of world.â The attack came as the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited Iran in an attempt to mediate new talks on a nuclear agreement. One of the ships attacked was a Japanese vessel called the Kokuka Courageous. Iran is holding the mostly Russian crew of one of the ships, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that the kingdom is not seeking war in the region, but warned it will not hesitate to confront threats to its security. The U.S. alleges Iran used limpet mines to target the tankers, pointing to black-and-white footage it captured that American officials describe as Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated tanker, Kokuka Courageous.
Target registers are now working after a nationwide outage Saturday caused long checkout lines and closed some stores.
A United Airlines plane skidded off the runway after its tyres burst as it landed at an airport near New York.Some passengers suffered minor injuries when Flight 627 slid off the tarmac at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Boeing 757-200âs left main landing gear was âstuck in a grassy areaâ following the incident at 1pm.âThe aircraft will be towed off the airfield after passengers leave the aircraft via stairs,â it added in a statement.No injuries were reported to the FAA but United said some passengers had refused treatment for minor injuries. The airline did not say how many people were hurt.The pilot told those on board the plane had blown two tyres as it landed, according to passenger Caroline Craddock. She said at least one person hit their head and another suffered an elbow injury.Arrivals and departures were suspended at Newark following the incident. Flights resumed after passengers were âsafely deplanedâ, the airport tweeted.The FAA said it was sending officials to the airport to begin an investigation.
After almost a week of massive street protests, Hong Kong's chief executive said Saturday that she has suspended a controversial extradition bill.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesman has expressed support for Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam after she shelved an unpopular bill backed by Beijing. As Hong Kong's highest-ranking local official, Lam suspended the legislation indefinitely after massive protests. Geng said Hong Kong residents still enjoyed "rights and freedoms" guaranteed when Beijing took control of the former British colony in 1997.
