This Jan. 2, 2016 photograph shows the Liberian-flagged lipid tanker Mercer Street disconnected Cape Town, South Africa. The lipid tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came nether onslaught disconnected the seashore of Oman successful the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, July 30, 2021, arsenic details astir the incidental remained few. (Johan Victor via AP)

DUBAI – Israel's premier curate connected Sunday straight blamed Iran for a drone onslaught connected an lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Oman that killed 2 radical arsenic Tehran denied being progressive successful the assault.

The comments by Premier Naftali Bennett and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh travel aft the onslaught Thursday nighttime connected the lipid tanker Mercer Street, which marked the first-known fatal onslaught aft years of assaults connected commercialized shipping successful the portion linked to tensions with Iran implicit its tattered atomic deal.

While nary 1 has claimed work for the attack, Iran and its militia allies person utilized alleged “suicide” drones successful attacks previously.

On Sunday, Khatibzadeh described the allegation Iran carried retired the onslaught arsenic “baseless” during his past quality conference.

“Such blasted games are thing new,” Khatibzadeh said. "Those who are liable for this (attack) are the ones who made it imaginable for the Israeli authorities to acceptable its ft successful this region.”

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He added: “This is not strange, the well-known anti-Iran lobby successful the U.S uses immoderate accidental to marque ... accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Khatibzadeh spoke astir an hr aft Iran’s outgoing president acknowledged that his authorities astatine times “did not archer portion of the truth” to the nationalist during his term.

In Jerusalem, Bennett straight blamed Iran for the onslaught astatine a play Cabinet meeting.

The American nuclear-powered craft bearer USS Ronald Reagan and the guided rocket destroyer USS Mitscher were escorting the Mercer Street arsenic it headed to a harmless port, the U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet said successful a connection aboriginal Saturday. It said Navy explosive experts judge a drone attacked the vessel.

The drone onslaught blasted a spread done the apical of the lipid tanker’s bridge, wherever the skipper and unit bid the vessel, a U.S. authoritative said. The authoritative spoke connected information of anonymity arsenic an probe into the onslaught inactive was ongoing.

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The Mercer Street is managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime, portion of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. The steadfast said the onslaught killed 2 unit members, 1 from the United Kingdom and the different from Romania. It did not sanction them, nor did it picture what happened successful the assault. It said it believed nary different unit members connected committee were harmed.

British maritime information steadfast Ambrey said the onslaught connected the Mercer Street had killed 1 of its squad members connected committee the vessel.

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Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre successful Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Ilan Ben Zion successful Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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