On Thursday, Iran warned its arch-rival Israel against any "foolish step" following threats from the Israeli state accusing Tehran of being behind an attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea. The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, stated on Twitter, "We clearly declare: Any foolish step against Iran will face a decisive response. Don't test us."
Israel accused Iran of orchestrating an attack on an oil tanker operated by an Israeli businessman in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman on July 29, which resulted in the death of a British security guard and a Romanian, both crew members. In recent days, Israeli officials have hinted at retaliation for this attack, which Iran has vehemently denied involvement in.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated on Tuesday that his country is "working to rally the world" in response to the incident but cautioned, "We also know how to act on our own." He added, "Iranians must understand that it is impossible to remain in peace in Tehran while igniting the entire Middle East from there. This (era) is over."
Khatibzadeh noted that "the Israeli entity, in a new instance of blatant violation of international law, shamelessly threatens Iran with military action... This wicked behavior stems from the blind support of the West for it." The United States and Britain joined Israel in attributing responsibility for the attack, which was likely conducted via a drone. Washington has pledged to coordinate a "collective response" to Iran.
Israel called for international action against Iran following the attack on the "MT Mercer Street," as announced by Zodiac Maritime, the company operating the ship, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer and based in London. No party has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the maritime security firm Dryad Global spoke of "new retaliatory actions in the ongoing shadow war between the two powers," namely Iran and Israel.
Previously, Israel has accused Iran of orchestrating attacks on vessels linked to it over the past months, particularly in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Iran, on the other hand, pointed fingers at Israel for a "sabotaging" attack on the cargo ship "Iran Shahrekord" in the Mediterranean in March, suggesting at the time that "all evidence points to the belief" that the Israeli state was behind the operation.
In April, Tehran announced that its vessel "Savant" was damaged by an explosion targeting it in the Red Sea. While Iran has not assigned blame to any party, the New York Times reported that Israel carried out the attack in response "to previous Iranian assaults on Israeli vessels." Iran has previously accused Israel of behind sabotage operations targeting its nuclear facilities and assassinations of its scientists.
