Israel, Iran trade blame over oil tanker attack off coast of Oman

A strike on a tanker off the coast of Oman was "an Iranian provocation" that aimed to "disrupt the environment" before the World Cup opens in Qatar, an Israeli official told AFP Wednesday.

The official, who requested anonymity, said the attack was carried out with the "same drones that the Iranians are selling to the Russians for use in Ukraine... the Shahed 136," an unmanned aircraft equipped with a warhead.

The Israeli official dismissed suggestions that the strike on the vessel partly owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer amounted to "an Iranian victory" against Israel.

"It is not an Israeli tanker," the official said.

Iran's hardline-affiliated Nournews in turn blamed Israel for the attack.

"The Zionists' evil during the World Cup, started earlier. Regional competitions and cabinet formation crisis in Israel, have activated Hebrew-Arab axis to attack the oil tanker in the Oman Sea in order to involve Qatar and Iran simultaneously with the help of media atmosphere," it said on Twitter.

Iran and Israel are bitter foes and a "shadow war" between the two powers has seen a spate of attacks on ships from both sides that they have blamed on each other.

Iran was blamed for a July 29, 2021 drone strike on an Israel-linked tanker sailing off the coast of Oman, the MV Mercer Street, that killed a former British soldier and a Romanian national.

Tehran denied responsibility for that strike.