US video not enough to blame Iran for tanker attacks: Germany
Tehran (KNA) - Video footage released by the US military to blame Iran for the recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman has been disputed even by Washington's allies and Western analysts.
Less than a day after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) released the video late Thursday purportedly showing "Iranian sailors" removing a mine from the Japanese-owned Kokura Courageous' hull earlier in the day, European governments - except for Britain - have so far refused to accept the US' narrative that Tehran was to blame for the "suspicious" attacks.
They are reluctant to accept the White House's claims at face value, and do not want to provide Washington with any pretext for war.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Friday the video is not sufficient to prove the US claim that Iran was behind the attacks.
"The video is not enough. We can understand what is being shown, sure, but to make a final assessment, this is not enough for me," Maas, who was in Iran earlier this week on an official two-day visit, told reporters in Oslo.
Nathalie Tocci, a senior adviser to European foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also rejected the US allegations, saying, "Before we blame someone, we need credible evidence."
Iranians are deeply rational actors, she said. And for Iran to have attacked a Japanese ship when the Japanese prime minister was in Tehran "is not an especially rational thing to do."
Source: PressTV