Japanese Sailors Saw ‘Flying Objects’ Before Oil Tanker Attack, But US Military Has Something Else to Show

An oil tanker is on fire in the sea of Oman, on June 13, 2019. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. ISNA/AP Photo

The Japanese owner of the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman on June 13, said their sailors saw “flying objects” immediately before the attacks.

The claim from Yutaka Katada, the President of Kokuka Sangyo, a company that owns and operates ships that transport liquid chemicals, contradicts the claims by the United States military that said the attacks resulted from an Iranian naval mine.