United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an independent inquiry into the oil tanker attacks two days ago in the Gulf of Oman. Guterres asked for the investigation after the United States blamed Iran for the attacks, Reuters reported.
The international body’s chief also said that he was willing to mediate between the two countries if both the parties agreed, adding that “at the present moment we don’t see a mechanism of dialogue possible to be in place”.
Two commercial oil tankers carrying inflammable materials caught fire in suspected attacks on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman. Twenty-one crew members were on board the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and 23 people were on the Norwegian-owned tanker Front Altair. All were rescued. The incident drove up oil prices and stoked fears of a new confrontation between Iran and the United States.
In view of the escalating tensions between the two countries, Guterres said that “it’s very important to know the truth”. “It’s very important that responsibilities are clarified,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts.”