The Iranian ambassador to the UK has been summoned to the Foreign Office following the drone strike on a petrol tanker which killed a British citizen – as Tehran warned of a strong response if the country’s security is threatened.
The attack on the Israeli-linked vessel, Mercer Street, took place off the coast of Oman on Thursday night and saw a hole blasted through the vessel’s bridge, according to the British maritime security firm Ambrey, killing one British and one Romanian crew member.
The UK, US and Israel have said it is highly likely that Iran was behind the strike, which was the first known fatal attack after years of assaults on commercial shipping in the region, linked to tensions between Israel and Iran.
Middle East minister James Cleverly told the told Iranian diplomat Mohsen Baharvand that Tehran must “immediately cease actions that risk international peace and security”.
Tehran has denied any involvement, with Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh telling state TV: “Iran has no hesitation in protecting its security and national interests and will respond promptly and strongly to any possible adventure.
He added that he “strongly regretted the baseless accusations made by the British foreign secretary against Iran, which were repeated by the US secretary of state in the same context and contained contradictory, false and provocative accusations”.
The US and Britain said on Sunday they would work with their partners to respond to the attack on the Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned petroleum product tanker, managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime.
The UK’s Foreign Office said the drone assault followed similar attacks on three other Israeli-linked ships in the region since February.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The Iranian ambassador to the UK, Mohsen Baharvand, was summoned today to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office by the minister for the Middle East, James Cleverly, in response to the unlawful attack committed on MV Mercer Street on 29 July.
“Minister Cleverly reiterated that Iran must immediately cease actions that risk international peace and security, and reinforced that vessels must be allowed to navigate freely in accordance with international law.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he is confident that Iran carried out the attack using explosive drones – “a lethal capability it is increasingly employing throughout the region”.
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