U.A.E. Splits With U.S. Over Blame for Oil Tanker Attack in May
( A big deal )
By Abbas Al Lawati
June 26, 2019, 7:23 AM EDT
The United Arab Emirates appeared to distance itself from U.S. claims that pinned attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz on Iran.
Honestly we cant point the blame at any country because we dont have evidence, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Wednesday in Moscow. If there is a country that has the evidence, then Im convinced that the international community will listen to it. But we need to make sure the evidence is precise and convincing.
While an investigation by the U.A.E., Norway and Saudi Arabia concluded that a state actor was most likely behind the incident in May, no nation was singled out. Still, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has said that Iran was almost certainly responsible.
The attack predated the pair of strikes in the Gulf of Oman this month that the U.S. has also blamed on Iran. Vessels were targeted off the U.A.E. coast in May as they made their way toward the Strait of Hormuz, the worlds foremost oil shipping chokepoint.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-26/u-a-e-splits-with-u-s-over-blame-for-oil-tanker-attack-in-may