Pieces of mines recovered after attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman "strikingly" resemble those belonging to Iran, the US navy has said.
Officials showed debris and a magnet recovered, they said, from the tanker Kokuka Courageous to reporters at the US navy's 5th Fleet base near Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Iran's Revolutionary Guard left them behind when they removed an unexploded limpet mine after the attack, the officials claim.
Commander Sean Kido, of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said the damage done to the vessel on Thursday was "not consistent with an external flying object hitting the ship".
That contradicts the ship's owner, which quoted eyewitnesses aboard who saw two "flying objects" before the 13 June attack.
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The US military previously released images it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) removing an unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous tanker.
Mr Kido, an explosives expert, added that navy investigators have recovered fingerprints and a hand print from the side of the ship after the attack.
More from Iran
The tanker, along with the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, were hit by explosions and towed to the Emirati coast by US naval authorities.
Tehran has denied any involvement in both attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies.>Read More – Source
Pieces of mines recovered after attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman "strikingly" resemble those belonging to Iran, the US navy has said.
Officials showed debris and a magnet recovered, they said, from the tanker Kokuka Courageous to reporters at the US navy's 5th Fleet base near Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Iran's Revolutionary Guard left them behind when they removed an unexploded limpet mine after the attack, the officials claim.
Commander Sean Kido, of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said the damage done to the vessel on Thursday was "not consistent with an external flying object hitting the ship".
That contradicts the ship's owner, which quoted eyewitnesses aboard who saw two "flying objects" before the 13 June attack.
Advertisement
The US military previously released images it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) removing an unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous tanker.
Mr Kido, an explosives expert, added that navy investigators have recovered fingerprints and a hand print from the side of the ship after the attack.
More from Iran
The tanker, along with the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, were hit by explosions and towed to the Emirati coast by US naval authorities.
Tehran has denied any involvement in both attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies.>Read More – Source
