Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of attacking an Israeli-linked oil tanker in the Gulf earlier this month, stating that "Iran's acts of aggression are unceasing". In response, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, denied the accusations, stating that they "strongly reject the Zionist regime’s accusation against Iran regarding the attack on the Israeli tanker". The Liberian-flagged product tanker, Campo Square, was hit on February 10 by an airborne object while in the Arabian Sea, approximately 300 nautical miles off the coasts of India and Oman, according to the Greek company that manages the vessel.

Iran and Israel have been engaged in a shadow war for years, with both sides accusing each other of sabotage attacks and assassinations. Iran has also accused Israel of being behind a January drone attack on a defence ministry site in Iran’s central Isfahan province. Talks between Iran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal have stalled since September 2021, and Israel has previously stated that it is willing to strike Iranian targets if diplomacy fails to curb Tehran’s nuclear or missile programmes. However, Israel does not comment on specific incidents.

Source: Aljazeera