The top diplomats from each of the G7 countries released a joint statement Friday laying blame at the feet of Iran for a recent attack on an oil tanker of the coast of Oman that killed two workers.
“All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack,” read the statement from the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. “Iran’s behaviour, alongside its support to proxy forces and non-state armed actors, threatens international peace and security. We call on Iran to stop all activities inconsistent with relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and call on all parties to play a constructive role in fostering regional stability and peace.”
G7 Foreign Ministers’ statement blaming Iran for the MV Mercer Street and condemning it. pic.twitter.com/WVvL3j8hIP
— Judah Ari Gross (@JudahAriGross) August 6, 2021
The attack in question occurred on July 29 against the Mercer Street, a commercial oil tanker owned by a Japanese company but operated by Zodiac Maritime, a company led by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The attack killed two workers on the ship, one Romanian national and one U.K. citizen. (RELATED: Out Goes Biden, In Comes Iran: US Adversaries Swarm To Fill Vacuum Created By Afghanistan Withdrawal)
Top diplomats from Israel, the U.K. and the U.S. had already publicly blamed Iran in the days immediately following the attack. Iran has denied any involvement, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh instead blaming the “Zionist regime occupying Jerusalem” for making “empty accusations.”
The drone attack on the Mercer Street is consistent with a string of attacks in recent years by Iran against merchant vessels as the Islamic Republic wages a shadow naval war with Israel in the region. Tuesday, the British navy announced a “potential hijacking” of a Panama-flagged asphalt tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near Iran.