Washington has blamed Iran for the attacks in the Gulf of Oman and say the images taken from a US Navy MH-60R helicopter are proof of that. The British Government supports the US conclusion but Iran has denied all involvement in the incidents. US Military Central Command’s statement on the release of the images says: “Iran is responsible for the attack based on video evidence and the resources and proficiency needed to quickly remove the unexploded limpet mine.”
The attack on Kokura Courageous occurred on the same day as an attack on Norwegian owned Front Altair, just a month after four oil tankers were attacked in the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE told the UN Security Council that the sophistication of the May 12th attacks meant a “state actor” was likely to be behind the attacks, but did not say whom it thought this was and no one has yet claimed responsibility.
Saudi Arabia agrees with the US that Iran was behind the attacks.
Tensions between the West and Iran have long been high.
One of the released images shows mine blast damage to the oil tanker Iran-The above image shows the removal of an unexploded mine
The last Shah of Iran was a close ally of the United States and attempted to modernise his nation but was overthrown following the 1979 Islamic Revolution after losing support from the working class and Islamic clerics.
A referendum then resulted in Iran’s current government after 98.2 percent voted to approve a new constitution which sees a Shiite cleric appointed as the head of state and the ultimate political and religious authority in the country.
The Donald Trump administration choose to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed to prevent the state from obtaining a nuclear bomb.
Washington has increased sanctions, limiting Iran’s access to the American financial system and banning their use of the US dollar.
An image taken after the incident The US claims the figures in this image are Iranian Revolutionary Guards Iran-This image shows an aluminum composite supposedly left behind after the mine was retrievedIt is hoped by Mr Trump the high-pressure strategy would force Iran back to the negotiating table, but the rhetoric from Iranian officials has grown increasingly violent with the Foreign Minister saying the US “cannot expect to stay safe”.
German intelligence has claimed Iran is trying to bypass the sanctions and limits to build weapons of mass destruction and Tehran has said it will break the uranium stockpile limit set by the deal in 9 days.
Former Obama advisor Colin Kahl has warned that disruption to Iran’s oil trade could be the catalyst for a chain of events that will end in a full-scale invasion of Iran by the US.
In a fictional account of what this conflict might look like, Mr Kahl said fighting see Iran use its proxies against the US and her allies, with fighting likely to break out in Israel, Lebanon and Syria.