US Navy Releases Footage of Tanker Attack Aftermath That Has 'Iran Written All Over It,' Trump Says
A day after two tankers were attacked off the coast of Iran, the U.S. Navy released footage of one of the tankers while President Donald Trump blamed the Islamic Republic, saying the attack has Tehran “written all over it.”
On Friday, according to The Washington Post, the Navy released video that it said showed an Iranian vessel trying to remove an unexploded mine from a Japanese-owned oil tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, which had already been damaged by an explosion.
Fox News reported that a source said the vessel did not bear any flags, but was similar to Iranian vessels that have been known to harass U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf.
American officials released images they said show that Iran was involved in an attack on an oil tanker near the entrance to the Persian Gulf on Thursday https://t.co/bFIFSuXiGw pic.twitter.com/iveaDaP3zd
— Bloomberg (@business) June 14, 2019
According to Fox, the footage came from a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Bainbridge.
It was this same vessel that was responsible for rescuing 21 crew members from the damaged tanker.
GULF OF OMAN , June 13, 2019 —
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) responded to a distress call from the M/V Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman the morning of June 13. https://t.co/TVOdAgfDWK pic.twitter.com/qDIAZBRApa— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 14, 2019
“This is what we’re out here for,” the commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge Cmdr. M. Kathryn Devin said, according to Fox.
“Our mission is to ensure maritime safety and to answer the call for aid when we can.”
The same day the Navy released its footage, Fox reported, Trump was interviewed on “Fox & Friends” and said there was no doubt who was behind the attacks.
The violence has “Iran written all over it,” he said, because “they’re a nation of terror.”
“Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,” he said.
“We don’t take it lightly.”
On Thursday, the Kokuka Courage and a Norwegian-owned tanker called the Front Altair were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz leaving dozens of crew members left to be rescued.
That afternoon, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for both of the attacks in a news conference.
“This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,” Pompeo said.
Pompeo additionally blamed Tehran for the attacks in a Twitter post, saying they are an “unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran.”
It is the assessment of the U.S. government that Iran is responsible for today’s attacks in the Gulf of Oman. These attacks are a threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran. pic.twitter.com/cbLrWNU5S0
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) June 13, 2019
Iran however, has denied any involvement in the attacks.
According to Fox, Iran’s U.N. Mission said the Iranian government condemns the attacks on the tankers and “categorically rejects” the United States’ claim that Iran had anything to do with the attacks.
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