Fujairah: Saudi Arabia said Monday two of its oil tankers were damaged in mysterious ‘sabotage attacks’ in the Gulf as tensions soared in a region already shaken by a standoff between the United States and Iran.
It came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow to head to Brussels instead for talks with European officials on Iran.
Tehran meanwhile has called for an investigation into the ‘alarming’ attacks and warned of ‘adventurism’ by foreign players to disrupt maritime security.
Britain on the other hand has warned of the danger of conflict erupting ‘by accident’ in the Gulf.
The US has already strengthened its military presence in the region, including deploying a number of strategic B-52 bombers in response to alleged Iranian threats.
Saudi Arabia which is Iran’s regional arch rival, condemned ‘the acts of sabotage which targeted commercial and civilian vessels near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’, a foreign ministry source said.
“This criminal act constitutes a serious threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and adversely impacts regional and international peace and security,” the source added.
The UAE had earlier said Sunday that four commercial vessels of various nationalities had been targeted by acts of sabotage off the emirate of Fujairah.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the two tankers suffered ‘significant damage’ but there were no casualties or any oil spill. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE gave details on the nature of the attacks.
Fujairah port is the only Emirati terminal located on the Arabian Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, through which most Gulf oil exports pass. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in case of a military confrontation with the United States.
Almost all the oil exports of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran itself, at least 15 million barrels per day, are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.
One of the two tankers that were attacked was on its way to be loaded with crude oil from a Saudi terminal for customers in the United States, Falih said.
The Saudi minister denounced the attack on the vessels, saying it ‘aims to undermine the freedom of maritime navigation and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world’.
The Pentagon said Friday that it was deploying an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to bolster an aircraft carrier force sent to counter alleged Iranian threats.
Oil prices rose on world markets Monday with benchmark Brent North Sea crude up 1.8 per cent at $71.90 a barrel in London.
The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE – as well as the Arab League condemned Sunday’s incident.
“This is a dangerous escalation representing evil intentions by those that planned and executed this operation,” GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani said in a statement.