Without independent probe some UNSC members not ready to back Wests claims about Mercer Street tanker attack UN source to RT
Some Security Council members are wary of backing accusations made by their Western partners about a recent tanker attack off the coast of Oman, a UN source told RT, saying that an independent probe into the matter was needed.
The UK called for a closed-door UN Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss an alleged drone attack that occurred on July 31 on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street, which is managed by an Israeli firm. Britain told the UNSC on Tuesday it was âhighly likelyâ Iran was responsible for the strike, a claim Tehran has fervently denied.
Washington responded to the incident by voicing support for its ally, vowing it would work to ensure there was âaccountabilityâ and that Iran was âidentified and dealt with at the Security Council.â
However, a UN source told RT that some members of the council were not prepared to back the UKâs allegations during Fridayâs meeting without a thorough and independent investigation into the event.
âIt was obvious that not all UNSC members were ready to support the accusatory suggestions of the Western partners while not having the results of an independent and neutral international investigation,â the source said.
Also on rt.com âHighly likelyâ: UK & US accuse Iran of âdeliberate & targeted attackâ on Israeli-operated tanker off Oman, threaten a responseMoscow earlier called for more information before drawing conclusions about the incident. On Wednesday, Deputy Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters his country rejected Britainâs ââhighly likelyâ analysis.â
âWe need to establish facts ... we donât need to rush to any conclusions or actions without having proof of what has happened,â said Polyanskiy.
The alleged attack killed two people on board the tanker: a Romanian captain and a British crew member. Hours after the deadly incident, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed his country had âproofâ that Iran was behind the attack.
Also on rt.com Troubled ship off UAE coast is âsafeâ after boarders leave, UK Navy agency says amid reports about Iranian hijackingEarlier this week, the Royal Navyâs vessel-tracking agency, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), reported that a ship was âhijackedâ off the coast of the UAE in the Gulf of Oman. UKMTO later said the alleged assailants had left the ship and the vessel was safe.
The Iranian military responded to the report by dismissing it as âa kind of psychological warfare,â while the countryâs Foreign Ministry raised questions about the âhighly suspiciousâ claim.
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