16 June 2019; IRNA: Addressing Majlis on Sunday, Ali Larijani said it seems that attacks on oil tankers happened due to the fact that they got nothing from their harsh sanctions.
Citing a US historical record, Larijani said that during the World War US used to attack its own ships near Japan to provide pretexts for bombing Japan.
Larijani rebuked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for "his comic statement recommending Iran to use diplomacy in response to the US diplomacy", saying that how the US official describes the US full-scale economic war against Iran, a diplomacy?
On Thursday, two tankers, named Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, were attacked on the Gulf of Oman.
Though Washington said a mine caused the explosion, Yutaka Katada, the Japanese company’s executive director said, “Our crew said that the ship was attacked by a flying object."
Yutaka Katada, chief executive of the Japanese company operating the ship called Kokuka Courageous, one of two vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, said the damage could not have been caused by mines or torpedos that are shot underwater, since the damage was reportedly above the ship’s waterline.
The Kokuka Courageous and another Norwegian-operated vessel were ablaze for hours in the Gulf on Thursday. The owner's of the other vessel, the Front Altair, have not yet provided an explanation of what they believe to be the cause of the damage.
The entire 21-person crew were evacuated the Kokuka Courageous. Sailors reported seeing the “flying objects” from the vessel before the incident occurred, according to Katada.
