UK and US blame Iran for 'targeted' drone attack on oil tanker MV Mercer Street off coast of Oman

The United States has joined the UK and Israel in blaming Iran for the attack which killed two crew members.

Sophie Morris

Monday 2 August 2021 13:04, UK

The UK and US have blamed Iran for an attack on an Israeli-linked oil tanker in which two crew members, including a British national, were killed.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Iran of carrying out a "deliberate, targeted" assault which constituted "a clear violation of international law".

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was considering "next steps" with the UK and other allies, with "an appropriate response... forthcoming".

Meanwhile, the head of the British armed forces, General Sir Nick Carter, held discussions with his Israeli counterpart on Sunday.

The government held a Cobra emergency meeting at the level of officials over the weekend in a sign of the serious focus on the tanker attack and how to respond, Sky News understands.

There's not yet been a Cobra attended by ministers, which is what happens in the gravest of crises.

The attack occurred last Thursday when the MV Mercer Street was off Oman's Coast in the Arabian Sea.

The tanker is operated by Zodiac Maritime, which is based in London and owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

"The UK condemns the unlawful and callous attack committed on a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman, which killed a British and a Romanian national," Mr Raab said.

"Our thoughts are with the friends and family of those killed in the incident.

"We believe this attack was deliberate, targeted, and a clear violation of international law by Iran.

"UK assessments have concluded that it is highly likely that Iran attacked the MV Mercer Street in international waters off Oman on July 29 using one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)."

Mr Blinken said: "Upon review of the available information, we are confident that Iran conducted this attack, which killed two innocent people, using one-way explosive UAVs, a lethal capability it is increasingly employing throughout the region."

He added: "We are working with our partners to consider our next steps and consulting with governments inside the region and beyond on an appropriate response, which will be forthcoming. We once again offer our condolences to the families of the victims."

Analysis by Sky's foreign affairs editor Deborah Haynes

Britain, the United States and Israel have vowed to retaliate after accusing Iran of attacking an Israeli-linked oil tanker in the Arabian Sea, killing a British security guard.

The allies need to push back to deter further such assaults.

Yet, London and Washington will want to balance inflicting a meaningful punishment against the desire not to go so far as to trigger an even graver crisis with Iran.

Launching airstrikes, for example, against the infrastructure used by Iranian forces to fly their drones would send a powerful message not to target commercial ships.

But it would be viewed in Tehran as an escalatory step, likely sparking new reprisals.

Then again, harshly-worded diplomatic rebukes by the UK and its partners alone - even if coupled with new economic sanctions - could be viewed by Iran as too weak, making it less likely to have any kind of deterrent effect.

The UK might, therefore, favour a more covert response – such as a cyber attack against Iranian drone capabilities – that would send a message to Iran's leaders but would not be so overtly destructive as to make the authorities feel as though they must strike back.

Another similarly covert option could be to deploy physical jamming devices to the region that could jam the control signals sent to the drones, rendering them impossible to operate.

"Something will happen, but I suspect it will be one short of launching an all-out attack on Iran," said a military source, who did not have direct knowledge of the deliberations but has a long track record of dealing with emergencies.

A statement by Dominic Raab, the UK foreign secretary, on last Thursday's deadly attack on the MV Mercer Street tanker was unusually blunt. He directly blamed Iran and pledged a "concerted response" along with international allies.

His words were echoed by Anthony Blinken, the US secretary of state, who similarly warned the Islamic Republic that an "appropriate response" would be "forthcoming".

No hint was given of the kind of punishment but UK government officials are working up options. A Cobra emergency meeting at officials-level – not one chaired by the prime minister – was held over the weekend in a sign of the gravity of the incident.

Any action will almost certainly be taken with partners, including Israel – which is already locked in a shadowy conflict with Iran, with both countries secretly attacking each other.

The strong wording of the British and US statements signals that both countries believe Iran has crossed a line by allegedly targeting a civilian ship in the Arabian Sea with explosive-laden drones and killing two people – the British guard and a Romanian crew member.

Israel feels this even more fervently, with its foreign minister calling out Tehran within hours of the attack and urging a tough response.

The Mercer Street is managed by an Israeli-owned UK company called Zodiac Maritime, making it the fourth Israeli-linked vessel to be attacked in the same region since February.

In the first instance, you can expect to see more allies joining with the UK, the US and Israel in condemning Iran. The Iranian ambassador to London could well be summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Whether the "concerted response" goes any further though might be hard to tell if it is designed to happen without fanfare.

Earlier this week, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid blamed "Iranian terrorism" for the attack.

Iran has not yet commented on the allegations.

A Romanian citizen was also killed in the attack.

Lisa Nandy, Labour's shadow foreign secretary, said the UK government needs to take a hard line with Tehran.

She said: "The prime minister must make it clear to the incoming Iranian president that lawless actions will carry costs. This is the moment where Britain must show we are resolute in our determination to end this pattern of behaviour.

"The breakdown of a clear strategy to deal with Iran has not served the UK or our allies well in recent years. The foreign secretary must now make it a priority to pursue coordinated international efforts to tackle these actions by the Iranian government."

The incident has sparked concern that tensions are increasing in the region.

A UK source said crew members reported being targeted by "some sort of drone" on Thursday in the Arabian Sea before communications with the ship were lost.

If a drone attack is confirmed it would raise speculation about a possible link to a government or some kind of proxy group.

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Iran in the past has repeatedly been accused of targeting tankers in the Gulf.

The country has been locked in a tit-for-tat contest with Israel, with both sides accusing the other of targeting ships and launching cyber attacks.

According to Eikon's ship tracking, the Mercer Street was headed to Fujairah, a bunkering port and oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates, from Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania.

UK and US blame Iran for 'targeted' drone attack on oil tanker MV Mercer Street off coast of Oman

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Analysis by Sky's foreign affairs editor Deborah Haynes

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