Iran used explosives to blow holes in US-bound Saudi oil tankers, US military investigation reveals
Each ship now reportedly has a hole measuring up to ten foot in it near the water line following Sunday's shocking sabotage attacks
IRAN used explosives to blow huge holes in four ships - including two Saudi oil tankers - anchored in the Persian Gulf, a US official has claimed.
The ships now reportedly have ruptures measuring up to ten foot across in their hulls as a result of Sunday's sabotage attacks.
The ships were targeted near the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates - with one of the tankers due to be loaded with Saudi crude oil bound for the US.
A Washington-based official told the Associated Press that an American military team's initial assessment indicated Iran or its allies used explosives to blow holes in the ships.
The official, who was not authorised to discuss the investigation, only agreed to reveal the findings if not named.
The US Navy's 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast and operates from a base in Fujairah, has declined to comment on its findings.
However, the Pentagon had already warned ships that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting maritime traffic in the region.
America is now deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged, still-unspecified threats from Tehran.
Citing heightened tensions in the region, the United Nations called on "all concerned parties to exercise restraint for the sake of regional peace, including by ensuring maritime security."
A statement from Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said two of the kingdom's oil tankers, including one due to later carry crude to the US, sustained "significant damage."
However, a report from Sky News Arabia showed the Saudi tanker Al Marzoqah afloat without any apparent damage.
The oil tankers were also visible in satellite images provided by Colorado-based Maxar Technologies.
A boom surrounded the Emirati oil tanker A. Michel, indicating the possibility of an oil leak.
The other three showed no visible major damage from above.
The MT Andrea Victory, the fourth allegedly targeted ship, sustained a hole in its hull just above its waterline from "an unknown object," its owner Thome Ship Management said in a statement.
Images on Monday of the Norwegian-flagged Andrea Victory, which the company said was "not in any danger of sinking," showed damage similar to what the firm described.
The US official said each ship sustained a five-to 10-foot hole in it, near or just below the water line, suspected to have been caused by explosive charges.
US NAVAL PRESENCE
Emirati officials had requested a team of US military investigators aid them in their probe.
A Pentagon official has said the US military is assisting with the investigation into the attack after a request was made by the UAE government.
A huge US naval presence has built up in the Gulf over recent days amid a fevered standoff between Washington and Tehran.
US intelligence revealed Iran was on the verge of carrying out offensive action to disrupt and attack American and partner interests in the region.
It led to the deployment of US aircraft carriers, Patriot missiles and B52 bombers over recent days.
On Friday, a senior Iranian cleric said the US fleet could be wiped out "with a single missile".
And the hardline Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it was not prepared to enter into talks with President Donald Trump - who had called for negotiations over ending Iran's nuclear programme.
Just minutes before the sabotage attack was revealed today, the US Maritime Administration warned shippers to exercise caution when travelling past Fujairah.
The general-secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council described the sabotage as a "serious escalation" in an overnight statement.
Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani said: "Such irresponsible acts will increase tension and conflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger."
Earlier this month, the Maritime Administration warned that US commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to US interests posed by Tehran.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman called the incidents on Sunday to ships near the coast of Fujairah "worrisome and dreadful", and asked for an investigation into the matter.
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