The United States reiterated its confidence that Iran launched the attack on the Israeli ship in the Sea of ​​Oman last Friday, and threatened a collective response coordinated with its allies, while Qatar called in a statement to resort to international law, and the British government seeks to reach an international agreement condemning Iran, which denies connection to the attack.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a press briefing that "Iran's behavior threatens international freedom of navigation," and that his country is coordinating with its partners and allies and will respond jointly with Britain, Israel and Romania.

Tel Aviv, Washington and London accused Tehran of being behind the attack that targeted an oil tanker operated by ZODIAC Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, which killed two crew members, one British and one Romanian.

No party claimed responsibility for the attack, but the company, Dryad Global, which specializes in maritime security, spoke of "new reprisals in the clandestine war" between Iran and Israel.

Also on Monday, the White House said that US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan discussed the threat posed by Iran with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Holata, in Washington.

The White House said in a statement, that Sullivan and Holata agreed during their meeting to consult closely on Middle East issues, including promoting the normalization of relations between Israel and the countries of the Arab and Islamic world.


British effort to condemn Iran

In the same context, the Guardian newspaper quoted the British Foreign Office as saying that Iran should "immediately stop actions that threaten international peace and security."

The newspaper also quoted British government sources as saying that the United Kingdom is currently studying its diplomatic response and how to respond to the targeting of the Israeli tanker.

The British government is seeking to reach an international agreement that Iran was behind the attack from the most important bodies of the United Nations and the Group of Seven, and considers it right to have a multilateral response.

For his part, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that Iran should bear the consequences of what he described as the "heinous attack on the Israeli ship", and stressed the need to protect international shipping routes in the world.

The British Foreign Office had summoned the Iranian ambassador to London after accusing Tehran of targeting the ship.

Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs James Cleverly told Al Jazeera that he assured the ambassador that Iran must "immediately stop its actions that threaten international peace and security," stressing that ships must be allowed to sail freely in accordance with international law.

The government held a special meeting over the weekend to discuss the attack on the Mercer Street tanker operated by an Israeli company.

In this context, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab expressed his belief that this attack was deliberate and a clear violation of international law by Iran.


Appeal to international law

In turn, the State of Qatar expressed its condemnation of the attack on the Israeli oil tanker, and at the same time expressed its hope that "international law will be invoked to ensure that such an attack will not be repeated in the future in a manner that preserves security and stability in the region."

In a statement issued on Monday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed, "The State of Qatar's total rejection of actions that would disrupt the safety and security of international maritime transport and impede the movement of ships and tankers."

The statement stressed "the need for all countries to abide by international conventions and norms regulating navigation throughout the world."

Iran has denied responsibility for the attack, and its foreign ministry on Monday summoned the Romanian ambassador to Tehran, and said it "rejects these accusations and considers them baseless and baseless."

She asked the Romanian ambassador to convey Tehran's protest and strong dissatisfaction to the authorities of his country.

The Foreign Ministry indicated that a third party seeks to destabilize security in the region, and that other countries should be careful about these conspiracies, as it put it.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also summoned the Chargé d'Affairs of the British Embassy in Tehran to protest against his country's statements regarding the attack on the Mercer Street ship.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that his country "will not hesitate to defend its security and interests, and will respond to any potential adventure immediately and strongly."

Saeed Khatibzadeh added that the allegations about Tehran's involvement in the attack on the Israeli tanker were "provocative and baseless."


A new level of escalation

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that his country must act now against Iran in the wake of the attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

He considered that Iran, led by what he described as the new butcher, in reference to its president, Ibrahim Raisi, would be the most dangerous for the world.

In an interview with the Knesset, Gantz added, commenting on the attack on the Israeli ship, that Iran will be more harmful and destructive to the region than it was, and will aspire to become an existential threat to Israel.

Gantz said that the attack on the Mercer Street ship constitutes an ascension to a new degree of escalation, and requires action against Iran, which he said "undermines stability in the Middle East and seeks to dangerously arm those he described as terrorist militias."

The Israeli Defense Minister added, "This is not a future threat, but a concrete and immediate danger," according to what was reported by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, General Aviv Kohavi, had a telephone conversation with his British counterpart Sir Nick Carter yesterday, in which they discussed recent events in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett accused Tehran of "trying to evade responsibility" for the incident, and described its denials as a "cowardly" act.

On Sunday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that the incident required a strong response.