Official says oil tanker hit by bomb-carrying drone off Oman

An lipid tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone disconnected the seashore of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, an authoritative told The Associated Press connected Wednesday.

The onslaught happened Tuesday nighttime disconnected the seashore of Oman, the Mideast-based defence authoritative said. The authoritative spoke connected information of anonymity arsenic they did not person authorization to sermon the onslaught publicly.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British subject enactment successful the portion monitoring shipping, told the AP: “We are alert of an incidental and it’s being investigated astatine this time.”

The authoritative identified the vas attacked arsenic the Liberian-flagged lipid tanker Pacific Zircon. That tanker is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is simply a institution yet owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.

A telephone fig for Eastern Pacific rang unanswered Wednesday.

While nary 1 instantly claimed work for the attack, suspicion instantly fell connected Iran. Tehran and Israel person been engaged successful a yearslong shadiness warfare successful the wider Middle East, with immoderate drone attacks targeting Israeli-associated vessels traveling astir the region.

The U.S. besides blamed Iran for a series of attacks occurring disconnected the seashore of the United Arab Emirates successful 2019. Tehran past had begun escalating its atomic programme pursuing the U.S.′ unilateral retreat from its atomic woody with satellite powers.

Iranian authorities media did not instantly admit the onslaught connected the Pacific Zircon.