LONDON — Explosions disabled two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, forced their crews to evacuate and left one vessel ablaze, a month after four tankers were damaged in the same area. The United States said the ships were attacked and blamed Iran, escalating tensions in a vital passageway for much of the world’s petroleum. Hours after the two vessels were struck, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that intelligence reviewed by American officials showed that Iran was responsible. The morning incidents, which two shipping companies involved and the White House had earlier described as attacks, roiled a region already unsettled by the escalating conflict between Iran and the United States and some of its allies. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, who was visiting Iran and trying to bridge the gap between Iran and the United States, warned of the risk of stumbling into military conflict.

Source: International New York Times June 13, 2019 07:42 UTC