US blames Iran for attacks on 2 tankers near Persian Gulf

US blames Iran for attacks on 2 tankers near Persian GulfSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that the United States government blames Iran for attacks on two oil tankers near the Persian Gulf, casting it as the latest in a series of "provocative actions" that have sharply raised tensions in the region. A U.S. assessment of Iran's responsibility for the attacks, which forced the evacuation of the crews in international waters, was based in part on intelligence as well as on the expertise needed to carry out the operation, Pompeo told reporters in Washington. It was also based on a recent series of incidents in the region that the U.S. blames on Iran, including a similar attack on tankers in the area in May and the bombing of an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed fighters, he said.




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