Iran on Saturday rejected Western accusations that it was involved in a tanker attack off the coast of Oman late last month, describing these "allegations" as part of a psychological war against it.

The Commander of the Armed Forces, Abu al-Fadl Shakarji, said that there is no basis for US allegations about finding parts of an Iranian drone that targeted the Israeli tanker Mercer Street.

He stressed that his country will announce any operation it implements and will not hide anything, as it announced the operation to target the American base of Ain al-Assad in Iraq.

Shakarji added that these accusations come within the framework of the media and psychological war waged by those he described as Iran's enemies, as well as US attempts to pressure Tehran.


Psychological

In Iran, too, the Foreign Ministry condemned the statement of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven, which accused Tehran of being behind the attack on the tanker.

The ministry said in a statement that Israel "is behind these baseless accusations, which come within the framework of psychological warfare."

The statement added that Tehran is committed to maintaining the security of maritime navigation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, considering the security of this region of Iran's.

The Foreign Ministry made it clear that Tehran will not hesitate to defend its sovereign rights with regard to maintaining joint security and stability in the region.


UN consultations

Yesterday, the UN Security Council held consultations regarding the attack on the Mercer Street tanker on the 29th of last month.

The British delegate to the council, Barbara Woodward, blamed Tehran for this attack, which she said was "premeditated and planned."

It added that Iran's activities and actions "threaten international peace and security."

On Friday, the Group of Seven joined in pointing the finger at Iran, coinciding with the publication of a report by the US Central Command containing what Washington said was "evidence" of the use of "Iranian-made" drones in the attack.

The US Central Command said that experts concluded that the march that targeted the tanker was Iranian-made.

And it announced that the tanker was subjected to an "unsuccessful" attack from two marches on the evening of the 29th of last month, noting that the damage to the ship was the result of an attack by a third drone that targeted it the next day, and it was loaded with explosives.

The US military command also indicated in a statement that investigators found a few remains of at least one march, and that the explosion caused by the drone's impact on the tanker caused a hole about 6 feet in diameter.

She added that tests proved the presence of a nitrate-based explosive, which was identified as "RDX", which indicates that the drone was sent with the aim of destroying and causing injuries.


next steps

In a related context, the Pentagon said that Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz about the attack on the tanker.

Austin expressed to Gantz his concern over what he called the expansion of Iran's activity and its use of drones, stressing his country's commitment to working closely for the security of the region. The two ministers agreed to work with allies and partners to condemn what he called Iranian "aggression" that threatens freedom of navigation, and they discussed the next steps.