United Nations ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Norway have told Security Council members that investigators believe that the sabotage of four vessels off the UAE last month were led by a foreign state.
The attacks required expert navigation of fast boats and trained divers who likely placed limpet mines with a high degree of precision on the vessels under the waterline to incapacitate but not sink them, according to the preliminary findings of the countries' joint investigation.
"While investigations are still ongoing, these facts are strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor," the three countries said in the document.
Four tankers from those countries were hit on May 12 off Fujairah port.
US national security adviser John Bolton has said Iran is responsible for the attacks.
A few days earlier in May, at the Pentagon, US Rear Admiral Michael Gilday accused Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of being directly responsible for the attacks.
On Thursday, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, said Riyadh also blames Iran for the sabotage.
“We believe that the responsibility for this action lies on the shoulders of Iran. We have no hesitation in making this statement," he said.
Scientific and naval experts conducted the probe, analyzing tanker debris, radar data and the precisely placed explosive charges.
