by
Tyler Durden
Sun, 05/12/2019 - 21:19
Something odd took place in the Persian Gulf today: early on Sunday, Lebanon's pro-Iran satellite channel Al-Mayadeen, quoting Gulf sources, reported that
a series of powerful explosions had struck the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah, reportedly targeting seven tankers. State and semi-official media in Iran picked up the report from Al-Mayadeen, which later published the names of vessels it claimed were involved in the incident.
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According to Al Mayadeen, the blasts took place early on Sunday morning, adding that the seven oil tankers were completely burnt and that firefighters were still trying to extinguish the blaze. As
Iran's PressTV adds, some social media activists said that American and French aircraft of unspecified type were flying over the port. Al Mayadeen did not say what had caused the explosions or the fire.
Subsequent attempts to validate the report, however, proved futile
and as the AP reports, after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses, "the report about explosions at the port was unsubstantiated."
Despite the UAE government’s denial, witnesses emphasized that the blasts took place and some media sources even went further, identifying a number of oil tankers hit by the explosions by their hull numbers as follows:
- AMJAD tanker: No.: 9779800
- Marzouqah tanker: No.: 9165762
- Miraj oil tanker: No.: 9394741
- A.MICHEL oil tanker: No.: 9177674
- FNSA10 oil tanker: No.: 9432074
Yet, while this could have been quickly dismissed as just another case of fake news, later on Sunday the plot thickened because after initially denying anything had happened, the foreign ministry of the United Arab Emirates said that
four commercial ships off its eastern coast "were subjected to sabotage operations" without causing casualties, however without giving details of the nature of the sabotage.
Providing further validation to the previously debunked report, the ministry said that the incident occurred near the UAE emirate of Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs which lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz, even though trading and industry sources
quoted by Reuters said operations at Fujairah port ran smoothly on Sunday.
“Subjecting commercial vessels to sabotage operations and threatening the lives of their crew is considered a dangerous development,” according to the statement that was carried by state news agency WAM.
The statement, which did not identify the vessels beyond saying they were of various nationalities, said the incident did not result in spills. The UAE did not blame any country or other party for the operation.
Emirati officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or say who might have been responsible; the statement also denied any incident had taken place inside the port, adding the government had taken all necessary measures and launched an investigation in coordination with international authorities.
“The international community should carry out its responsibilities to prevent any parties trying to harm maritime security and safety, which would be considered a threat to international safety and security,” it added.
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However, what prompted many to speculate that the attack, or "sabotage" may have been a false flag provocation to escalate a regional conflict, the incident came as the U.S. has warned ships that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting maritime traffic in the region, and as America deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran, while Tehran has called the U.S. military presence “a target” rather than a threat.
The reported sabotage incident also comes after the U.S. Maritime Administration warned Thursday that Iran could target commercial sea traffic.
"Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against U.S. and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz," the warning read. "Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, or the Persian Gulf."
So was Iran indeed "targeting commercial vessels", or was someone pretending to be Iran and targeting commercial vessels, and if so did the operation fail to achieve its goal, resulting in the prompt denial that anything happened, even though it was Iran who originally reported that seven tankers were involved in the explosions?
While there is no definitive answer, later on Sunday, a senior Iranian lawmaker and head of parliament’s national security committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, said that reports of “explosions” near Fujairah port showed the “the security of the south of the Persian Gulf is like glass.”
انفجارهای فجیره نشان داد،امنیت جنوب خلیج فارس شیشه ای است.
— حشمت الله فلاحت پیشه (@drfalahatpishe)
May 12, 2019
Fujairah's port is located about 140 kilometers (85 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of all oil at sea is traded. The facility handles oil for bunkering and shipping, as well as general and bulk cargo. It is seen as strategically located, serving shipping routes in the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and Africa.
Washington tightened sanctions on Iran this month, eliminating waivers that had allowed some countries to buy its oil, saying it wanted to cut Tehran’s crude exports to zero. Iran has said it will not let its oil exports by halted.
Finally, in another odd development for the incident which on one hand never, yet apparently was a case of sabotage, the UAE’s Gulf Arab ally Bahrain described the Fujairah incident as "a dangerous criminal act."
Following these bizarre reports and subsequent official denials, it remains unclear if there were indeed any explosions, if oil tankers were targeted, who was behind said attacks, and just what was the purpose of this "dangerous criminal" sabotage.
The confusion is similar to what happened earlier this week, when a number of powerful explosions rocked Saudi Arabia’s port city of Yanbu’, an important petroleum shipping terminal for the kingdom, and is home to three oil refineries, a plastics facility and several other petrochemical plants. Like on Sunday, however, reports fell short of giving any reason for the blasts or possible casualties.
No further details have been made available up to this moment and no group or individual has assumed responsibility for the blasts.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...ker-explosions
"Sabotage Attacks" On Saudi Tankers Stoke Fears Of War By "Accident" - Iran Decries Possible 'Psyop'
by
Tyler Durden
Mon, 05/13/2019 - 19:45
Despite now near daily anti-Iran bluster coming out of Washington, fueling rising US-Iran tensions, and now with
a major "incident" involving the reported "sabotage" attack on Saudi and UAE-docked oil tankers from an unknown perpetrator, leaders in Tehran
do not see war on the horizon. Interestingly, the incident involving the Saudi tankers at the Emirates' port of Fujairah on Sunday came a mere days after the US warned that "Iran or its proxies" could attack commercial vessels in the region
— though there's yet to be blame officially cast over the latest mysterious incident.
Instead, Iran does see possible desperate attempts at a
Psyop in the works: “The US military forces’ deployment in the Persian Gulf is
more of the nature of psychological warfare. They are not ready for a war, specially when Israel is within our range,” Iranian Parliament’s Vice-Speaker Ali Motahhari
said on Sunday after a closed door session with MPs, according to FARS news agency.
But the specific mention of Israel as being "within our range" marks a significant counter-threat which could easily make war a reality, now also given the Persian Gulf region is on edge after Saudi Arabia said overnight that two of its oil tankers were attacked while headed near the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile the US Department of Energy says it's
"monitoring the oil markets, and is confident they remain well-supplied" amid fears there are
efforts to "disrupt shipping," according to
Bloomberg.
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Norwegian oil tanker Andrea Victory, one of the four tankers damaged in alleged "sabotage attacks." Via the AFP The Saudis said in the aftermath of the still mysterious incident there was "significant damage to the structures of the two vessels"
— identified by shipping monitors as the
Amjad and crude tanker
Al Marzoqah. Other tankers were also reported damaged in the UAE's Fujairan port.
Later in the day Monday, images and footage began to appear online via Middle East news sources purporting to show damage from the "sabotage attack" of unknown origin on multiple international vessels.
And in predictable fashion, the Gulf Sunni dominated Arab League jumped in to back Saudi Arabia's use of "all measures" to safeguard their security,
per the AP:
The head of the Arab League has condemned attacks that targeted vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates the previous day, including two Saudi oil tankers, as “criminal acts.”
Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said in a statement on Monday that these acts are a “serious violation of the freedom and integrity of trade and maritime transport routes.”
He says the Arab League stands by the UAE and Saudi Arabia “in all measures taken to safeguard their security and interests.”
Senior State Dept. official Brian Hook
responded with "no comment" when asked if Iran was to blame for the alleged attacks on the commercial vessels near the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Hours after, President Trump weighed in by warning Iran against any "provocation" or else the country
“will suffer greatly” if conflict breaks out with the US. Trump told reporters while meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
at the White House:
“We’ll see what happens with Iran. If they do anything it’ll be a very bad mistake, if they do anything.”
Though so far it appears minor, the sabotage incident could signal the start of a Gulf of Tonkin type incident in the Persian Gulf, which would ultimately force Iran into a direct confrontation with the US and its regional allies, given also the ease with which any major event which disrupts shipping
— and impacting global oil markets
— would immediately be blamed on Iran, and uncritically spread through global and western media.
#BREAKING The Norwegian ship "André Victoria", which was subjected to subversive acts in the
#Fujairah against four ships near the territorial waters of the
#UAE, received a powerful blow that almost led her to sank, according to a video footage obtained by Russia Today
pic.twitter.com/Nl15pFt81P
— EHA News (@eha_news)
May 13, 2019
Seeming to be well aware of such a possibility, Iran on Monday urged caution and even directly suggested the events could be false-flag provocations designed to draw regional enemies into conflict. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said on Monday the incidents were "alarming and regrettable," and urged that more details were needed.
He further
warned against "plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security" and called for "vigilance of regional states in the face of any
adventurism by foreign elements."
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via The Daily Mail Last week the US deployed a carrier strike group to the region and further has a B-52 bomber group monitoring the skies over the Persian Gulf from al Udeid airbase in Qatar.
While the Iran's Revolutionary Guard has also dismissed the recent US building as “nothing but psychological warfare”, saying that “the US lacks power and does not dare to start a war against Iran,” it has also said its finger is on the trigger, ready to respond to any aggressive acts.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-...s-war-accident