Initial reports indicate that explosions seriously damaged both oil tankers.

The two oil tankers were supposed to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea.

Yemen’s army threatened to target Israeli ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea until the end killing Gazans by Israeli occupation forces.

However, the two mentioned unidentified drones targeted oil tankers at a distance of 2000 km from Bab al-Mandab Strait.

More importantly, both ships were forced to change course due to damage and fear of being hit again.

Israeli officials are unwilling to confirm or deny this news for various reasons.

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The recent alleged drone attack on the Israeli ship has led to wild speculations ranging from an Israeli “retaliatory” strike inside Iran to derailment of the already faltering nuclear talks between Iran and the West in Vienna.

Israel seems eager to intensify these speculations by taking advantage of the attack and signaling out Iran as a threat to international security. This is while Iran strongly repudiated the allegations Israel leveled against it.

The Israeli-operated ship Mercer Street came under attack off the coast of Oman on Thursday while traveling from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah. The oil tanker, managed by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Maritime, was reportedly attacked by suicide drones. Zodiac Maritime said two crewmen, a British and Romanian national, died in the attack.

“With profound sadness, we understand the incident onboard the M/T Mercer Street on 29 July, 2021 has resulted in the deaths of two crew members on board,” the UK-based Israeli company said in a statement on Friday afternoon, a day after the attack.

No country claimed responsibility for the attack but the Iranian news channel Al-Alam said the attack came in retaliation for an earlier Israeli strike against the al-Dhaba’a airport in the Syrian city of al-Qusayr which killed two men from the Resistance.

The Iranian broadcaster did not identify the Resistance groups behind the attack.

But Israeli and Western intelligence sources pointed the finger at Iran, accusing it of carrying out a drone attack on the Israeli ship.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed that Tel Aviv knows with certainty Iran attacked the Mercer Street ship and will respond to it.

“I determine, with absolute certainty – Iran carried out the attack against the ship,” Bennett stated, according to the Jerusalem Post. “The intelligence evidence for this exists and we expect the international community will make it clear to the Iranian regime that they have made a serious mistake.”

He noted, “In any case, we know how to send a message to Iran in our own way.”

Bennet’s remarks came after Iran denied any involvement in the Thursday attack. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced the Israeli allegations against Iran, saying Iran had nothing to do with the attack.

“The illegitimate entity of the occupation regime in Jerusalem must stop leveling false accusation. This is not the first time the regime has made such accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Khatibzadeh said at his weekly press briefing which was held a day earlier this week. “Wherever this regime has gone, it has carried with it insecurity, terror and violence.”

“Those responsible for the current situation are those who opened the door for the occupation regime in Jerusalem to enter the region,” the spokesman continued.

Khatibzadeh also warned the Israeli regime about continuing it projections, saying, “He who sows winds, reaps storms.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not hesitate for a moment to protect the supreme interests of the people and its own national security,” Khatibzadeh continued.

Despite this denial, Israel continued to threaten Iran with response while trying to use the attack as an excuse to undermine the Vienna nuclear talks which have been put on hold due to unresolved differences between Iran and the United States.

The former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence, Division Amos Yadlin, called on Israeli officials to use the attack to influence the final version of the agreement between Iran and the West.

In a Twitter thread on Sunday, Yadlin claimed that Iran shot itself in the foot by killing two European nationals on board Mercer Street. He tweeted that Israel must politically leverage what he called “the Iranian terrorist attack” by addressing the Security Council and friendly countries, even when the international community is afraid to confront Iran and gives priority to the issue of a return to the nuclear deal, which is currently experiencing difficulties.

He added that it is important for Israel to continue its campaign while closely controlling the escalation, and to focus on the two critical issues for Israel’s security – stopping the nuclear program and thwarting the precision-guided missile project.

To this end, Israeli officials contacted their counterparts in the U.S. and the UK in a bid to push the two negotiating partners of Iran to adopt a hawkish stance on Tehran. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held phone calls with his foreign counterparts and instructed Israeli ambassadors in London, Washington and New York to send in meetings with relevant parties at the capitals and in the UN.

Israel began to push for a United Nations Security Council condemnation against Tehran for the attack.

The Jerusalem Post quoted a diplomatic source as saying that Israel is “working with other countries, especially Britain and the United States, and more to advance the Security Council’s discussion on” the latest attack.

Israeli media also pushed for exploiting the attack to influence the Vienna talks. The Israeli Army Radio said that both the political and military echelons in Tel Aviv are interested in exploiting the attack to give Israel political gains, and to push for accepting its positions regarding the conditions that must be met before returning to the nuclear agreement with Iran, according to an Al Araby Al Jadeed report.

The radio pointed out that Israel has embarked on a large-scale political and diplomatic campaign, in an attempt to mobilize the international community against Iran and justify Israel’s allegations about Iranian expansionism in the region among the issues that the future agreement between Iran and the great powers must address.

Israel has been isolated on Iran ever since the nuclear talks began in April. It opposed the talks but its opposition to the Iran nuclear deal failed to prevent Washington and its European allies from starting talks with Iran.

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According To Iran News, Alireza Sheikh-Attar, a former Iranian ambassador to Germany says the first message of the arrival of oil tankers to Venezuela is that the resistance axis has been established against global bullies led by America.

The arrival of tankers proved that a resistance front has been seriously established in the field of the economy; this is of significant importance as the Global Arrogance is currently striking most of its blows through the economy,” Sheikh-Attar said in an interview with Mehr News Agency on Monday.

The former ambassador added that the Islamic Republic, not listening to the bullies, showed that it can neutralize pressures with the help of its friends.

The second message of this fuel delivery, he continued, was that of ‘Iran’s authority and power’.

“The delivery showed that Iran can stand against pressures not only through international institutions but also through threatening to carry out practical measures,” Sheikh-Attar said.

These two messages will definitely affect how the world sees Iran, he said, noting that how nations view Iran is more important than the perspective of politicians.

He noted that generally, measures such as this fuel delivery will be embraced in Latin America and may also become a source of inspiration as these countries have had bitter experiences of US’ pressures, intervention, and coups in their history

“They will understand that they can earn authority by showing resistance, not by money or special equipment,” he said.

Noting that Latin America is of the highest importance for the United States, Sheik-Attar said, “Certainly, America cannot tolerate the presence and influence of Iran in this region.”

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Padrino said in a state television interview on Wednesday that the escort would “welcome them in and thank the Iranian people for their solidarity and cooperation,” adding the Venezuelan government had been in contact with the Iranian defense minister, Reuters reported.

Earlier in the day, Iran’s defense minister warned the US of a firm and crushing response should it continue to harass the country’s ships and oil tankers in international waters.

“We will definitely give a firm and decisive response if harassments continue or escalate,” Brigadier General Amir Hatami told reporters.

The US has recently intensified its anti-Iran rhetoric, threatening to seize or target Iran’s fuel-carrying vessels crossing the Caribbean to sanctions-hit Venezuela.

US officials say Washington is mulling over possible measures against Iran in response to its fuel shipment to crisis-stricken Venezuela, according to reports.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday said the provocative acts from the United States amounted to a form of piracy and constituted a big threat to international peace and security.

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Nasrollah Sardashti also announced that two tankers have been already dry-docked for overhaul and as scheduled seven or eight more oil tankers will be overhauled by the yearend.

In this way, NITC will finish the overhaul operation of 20 oil tankers in the current Iranian calendar year, while the company had previously announced that the plan for this year is overhauling 12 tankers.

“We have not sent any tanker outside the country for overhaul in the present year”, Sardashti further emphasized.

In late July, the company successfully finished the overhaul operation of supertanker “DORE” after a month.

According to Sardashti, Iranian technicians managed to repair the oil supertanker “DORE” inside the country for the first time in the history of Iran’s shipping industry.

“Engines, generators, and electrical appliances all have been repaired and stained and will not require major repairs for the next five years,” Sardashti said.

In late June, the 320,000-ton oil supertanker DORE was successfully dry-docked in Bandar Abbas at Iran ISOICO to go through an overhaul for the first time inside the country.

DORE belongs to the national Iranian oil tanker fleet and is a “giant oil tanker” with a length of 333 meters.

It was the first time that the repair and maintenance services of a super oil vessel are assigned to a domestic repair yard.

According to NITC Technical Advisor Ali Mansourzadeh, before this Iranian technicians had successfully completed the overhauling and maintenance operations of a variety of smaller vessels in a 6-month period, including MARIA 3 tanker with a capacity of 13,600 cubic meters, POLARIS with a capacity of 45,000 tons, and ARK and ARGO each with a capacity of 100,000 tons.

However, due to some technological limitations, the repair operations of supertankers like DORE was carried out in foreign countries.

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Talking with Fox News on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed it is “unmistakable” that Iran carried out the attacks with a “clear intent to deny transit through the Strait”. Pompeo made such a claim on Thursday.

Iran has vehemently rejected the claim, calling it “ridiculous” and “dangerous”.

“If the Islamic Republic of Iran has any will to block the export of oil from the Persian Gulf it will fully realize that will and declare that openly,” Major General Bagheri told a ceremony at Imam Hussein University in Tehran.

The top military commander went on to say if there would be a need Iran will enter war with the enemies including the United States “openly”.

“In case of need we will openly confront the enemies including America in the region.”

In that case the armed forces will fight “in a very large area”, he added.

Bagheri said today Iran is facing “unprincipled”, “untruthful” and “deceitful” enemies like the United States which on the one hand is pressuring on Iran and on the other is speaking about negotiations.

The top general said powerful Iran will see no need to act “secretly or deceitfully”, adding a country behaves like this which is militarily powerless.

“Today, with the grace of God the Islamic Iran is at height of its power.”

“Iran facing a new Saddam Hussein”

Bagheri likened U.S. President Donald Trump to the ruthless Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein whose regime attacked Iranian cities with missiles and chemical weapons in the 1980s and at the same talked about “peace”.

“Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is facing a new Saddam with the name of Saddam that through complicated economic war and psychological warfare” is putting an unprecedented pressure on Iran, the general remarked.

 “Iran choosing resistance in face of war or negotiations” 

These pressures, he said, are intended to put Iran to choose between “war” or “negotiations” but Iran “has chosen the alternative of resistance and revolutionary defense”.

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