Iran will respond to tanker attack 'at right time, place'
According to the deputy commander, Iran has documents about the parties directly and indirectly involved in the attack and Iran is dealing with the issue through diplomatic channels.
By TZVI JOFFREDamage is seen on Iranian-owned Sabiti oil tanker sailing in the Red Sea, Oct. 2019(photo credit: WANA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)
Iran will respond to the October missile attack on the Iranian Sabiti oil tanker at "the right time and place," said the Iranian Army's Deputy Commander for Operations R.-Adm. Mahmoud Moussavi on Saturday, according to the Iranian Mehr news agency.Moussavi stressed that the Islamic Republic will never "adopt the heinous and illegal measures that some countries take in the seas; however, this does not mean that we will let them do whatever they want."Once the elements involved in the attack are identified the "proper measures, based on the expediency of the Islamic Republic, will be taken at the right time and place," said Moussavi.According to the deputy commander, Iran has documents about the parties directly and indirectly involved in the attack and Iran is dealing with the issue through diplomatic channels.The Sabiti tanker, owned by the National Iranian Oil Company, was hit by two missiles in the Red Sea in the waters off Saudi Arabia in October, leading to an oil leak.In October, Abolfazl Hassanbeigi, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, blamed Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia for the attack and stated that Iran would bring evidence from their investigation to the United Nations and UN Security Council, according to Mehr.“There are many documents and pieces of evidence pertaining to the involvement of some governments in the attack on the Iranian oil tanker,” said the MP. “These documents will be taken to the UN and the Security Council so that those countries behind this terrorist attack would pay for their action.”Both Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani said that the attack was carried out by one or more foreign countries.“For sure, a regime assisted by certain states has carried out this [attack], and we are studying the incident to see what has happened,” said Rouhani, according to the Iranian Fars news agency.The Iranian president said that they had a video showing “a number of missiles” fired at the tanker, with two hitting the tanker itself, according to the Iranian IRNA news agency. Taken from a camera on the tanker itself, the video show where the rockets were fired from and from what angle.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council stated that the attack was not carried out by one person or one group, but rather a government, adding that any country that carried out the attack should expect consequences.“According to information received, the attack on the Iranian tanker has been carried out by one or more governments,” said Zarif. “Of course, investigations are under way, but as long as we have not reached definitive conclusions, we will not accuse any government.”
