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DAILY DOSE | The UAE has come out stating that a state actor was behind the UAE oil tanker attack in the Persian Gulf, an accusation the Americans have lobbed at Iran. Former IDF intelligence commander Hanan Gefen analyzes.

Story:

Initial findings of an investigation led by the United Arab Emirates of May 12 attacks on oil tankers point to the likelihood that a state was behind the bombings, but there is no evidence yet that Iran was involved, the UAE said Thursday.

The UAE along with Saudi Arabia and Norway presented the preliminary findings during a briefing to the UN Security Council, which will also receive the final results of the probe to consider a possible response.

Following the attack last month, the UAE said that four commercial vessels — a Norwegian-flagged, two Saudi-flagged, and one Emirati-flagged — had been targeted by acts of sabotage, without naming who was behind the attacks.  

“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,” a joint statement from the three countries said.

The United States has fingered Iran as the actor responsible for the attacks, which came as relations between Tehran and Washington grew increasingly strained.

The initial findings showed that it was "highly likely" that four Limpet mines, which are magnetically attached to a ship's hull, were used in the attacks, placed by trained divers who were deployed from fast boats, according to the preliminary findings.

The UAE believes the attacks required intelligence capabilities to pick the four oil tankers as targets.

Iran, for its part, called the attacks "alarming and regrettable" and urged a probe into the incident while warning of "adventurism" by foreign players to disrupt maritime security.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday accused Israel's Mossad intelligence agency of "fabricating intelligence" linking Tehran to the attacks.

Saudi Arabia, Iran's arch-rival, told reporters that Tehran was nevertheless the most likely culprit.

"We believe the responsibility for this attack lies on the shoulders of Iran," Saudi Arabia's UN Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi told reporters after the briefing.

UN diplomats say that any attempt at the council to punish Iran for the attacks is likely to face opposition from Russia.

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