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Iran slams Saudi Arabia over tanker attack allegations
TEHRAN, June 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Iran hit back at Saudi Arabia on Monday over allegations Tehran was involved in tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman, saying Riyadh’s “wrong policies” have caused current regional tensions.
The allegations were “a continuation of the wrong path taken in the past and an attempt to escape all problems that Saudi Arabia’s wrong policies have brought upon the region,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi wrote in a statement on his Telegram channel.
Mousavi said the kingdom lacked a “proper understanding of the region’s dynamics” and followed “an approach based on militarism and causing crises and tension”.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused rival Iran on Saturday of being behind attacks last week on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, a vital shipping lane for global oil trade, echoing claims by US President Donald Trump.
Tehran has vehemently denied any involvement in the attacks and hinted that Washington itself could have done it to pile pressure on the Islamic republic on top of economic sanctions.
BSS/AFP/MMA/2040HRS