UN chief urges independent inquiry into oil tanker attacks
Tehran (KNA) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an independent probe into Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman in the face of US efforts to frame Iran.
Guterres underlined the need for an investigation to establish the facts about the attacks, adding that he believed only the Security Council could order a UN inquiry.
"It's very important to know the truth and it's very important that responsibilities are clarified. Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts," he said.
The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and Norwegian-owned Front Altair oil tankers were struck by explosions near the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway in the early hours of Thursday.
They were hit while sailing in the Sea of Oman after leaving ports in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Japan's government said both vessels were carrying "Japanese-related" cargo. The attacks came as Japanese PM Shinzo Abe was meeting with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
The cause of the attack is not yet known, but the Japanese shipping company has said two "flying objects" attacked its tanker in the Oman Sea, contradicting the US account that mines had hit the vessels.
A few hours after Thursday's attacks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offhandedly blamed Iran for the attack without providing evidence. US President Donald Trump also claimed that the incident had Iran "written all over it"
The accusation was further echoed by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who blamed Iran and Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) for the attacks.
Source: PressTV