Britain blamed Iran and its Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying no other state or non-state actor could have been responsible. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the attacks, said they had violated international norms, and called on Iran to stop all forms of destabilizing activity. "These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilizing Iranian behavior and pose a serious danger to the region," he said in a statement. Earlier, US President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the attacks. Asked how he planned to address Tehran and prevent any further incidents, Trump told Fox News: "We're going to see." He also said that any move to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers ship crude, would not last long. The US military released a video on Thursday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind the blasts that struck the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman, at the mouth of the Gulf. Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Iranians should "reflect, and reverse course." Gheit said the recent developments in the Middle East region risk deepening confrontations, and urged restraint from both sides to prevent that. He said: "Sadly, we have a problem in the Middle East with a very important and large Muslim state — Iran. "Iran is pushing everyone toward a confrontation where no one would be safe if it happens. In Dubai, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that Iranian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's credibility was "diminishing". "Every single day Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif's reference to team B becomes more farcical and his credibility diminishing," Gargash tweeted. "Public relations is no real substitute to constructive policies. De-escalation in current situation requires wise actions not empty words." United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation to establish the facts. "It's very important to know the truth and it's very important that responsibilities are clarified. Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts," he told reporters, adding that he believed only the Security Council could order a UN investigation. — Agencies
