Iran captured a ship in the Persian Gulf for allegedly smuggling diesel to the United Arab Emirates, said an Iranian News Agency on Sep. 16.
The reports of Tehran capturing the vessel smuggling diesel to UAE come amidst rising tensions after a weekend attack on a major oil installation in Saudia Arabia. Iran and Saudia Arabia don’t have any diplomatic relations at present and are at loggerheads for regional dominance.
Responsibility for the weekend strike was claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, while the United States has blamed Iran itself for the strike. Iran denies the accusation.
“We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks. The United States will work with our partners and allies to ensure that energy markets remain well supplied and Iran is held accountable for its aggression,” said Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo in a message on Twitter.
“Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend to engage in diplomacy. Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply. There is no evidence the attacks came from Yemen,” he said in a subsequent message.
Following Pompeo’s remark about Iran responsible for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, several Iranian officials responded on Monday.
“The Saudi-led coalition has been fueling the flames of war in the region with recurrent acts of aggression against Yemen and committing various war crimes for around five years, while Yemenis have proved that they stand against war and aggression,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, according to the state-backed Tasnim News Agency.
Despite the denial, a general said the country is ready for a “full-fledged” war with the United States.
Iran, which has some of the world’s lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the fall of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
