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11 hours ago
REUTERS
The attack on the tanker as it sailed past the Omani island of Masirah killed two people
The US military's Central Command has announced the results of its forensic
investigation into last week's fatal drone attack on a merchant tanker off
Oman.
It says explosives experts concluded that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
was produced in Iran.
The evidence has been shared with explosives experts in Britain and Israel who
concurred with the findings
concurred with the findings.
A British security guard, Adrian Underwood, and the ship's Romanian captain
lost their lives as the ship sailed past the Omani island of Masirah.
Britain, the US, Israel and Romania, were quick to blame Iran which has denied
any involvement. It said if there was any proof then it should be made public.
Now a statement from Centcom has shed some light on what it says its
investigation has revealed.
After interviewing the survivors and studying the explosive residue they have
concluded that the ship was targeted by three drones in all.
The first two, launched at the ship on the evening of Thursday 29 July, missed
their target. But the third drone, launched early on Friday 30 July and loaded
with a military grade explosive, hit the pilot house and exploded, killing the
two men and leaving a 2-metre diameter hole.
Investigators say explosive chemical tests had identified the residue as RDX, a
nitrate-based explosive, indicating that the UAV was rigged to cause injury
and destruction.
The investigators also recovered part of the drone's wing and after further
testing they concluded that the drone was produced in Iran. A joint statement
issued by all the G7 nations on Friday condemned Iran's actions and said its
actions threatened peace and stability.
REUTERS
An explosive investigations team from the US Navy's aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan has
examined evidence left behind
Iran and Israel have been engaged in an undeclared and so-called "shadow
war" for some time now.
Iran has been targeting Israeli-linked shipping with limpet mines, something
which the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps train intensively for. But last
week's deadly drone attack marked a major escalation, killing some of those
onboard and dragging in a major western power.
Days later there was a second attack on shipping with armed men briefly
seizing control of another merchant tanker, the MV Asphalt Princess, before
leaving it to go on its way.
The incidents come at a time of heightened tension in the region as the new,
hardline President Ebrahim Raisi takes power in Iran and talks aimed at
reviving the moribund deal to curb Iran's suspect nuclear programme falter in
Vienna.
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