Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Associated Press)——The United States has joined the ranks of Britain and Israel in accusing Iran of carrying out a deadly drone attack on an oil tanker near Oman, resulting in two deaths.US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the news in a statement on Sunday.

Antony Blinken said: "After reviewing the available information, we believe that Iran launched this attack, which killed two innocent people and used one-way explosives (unmanned aerial vehicles). It is increasingly using this lethal capability throughout the region."He added, 'This attack has no justifiable reason, it follows a pattern of attack and other bellicose behavior.'.”

This photo taken on January 2, 2016 shows Mercer Street, a Liberian flagged oil tanker near Cape Town, South Africa. On Friday, July 30, 2021, authorities announced that an oil tanker related to an Israeli billionaire was reportedly attacked off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, as details about the incident remain scarce.

Iran denied involvement earlier. The Israeli Prime Minister directly accused Iran and implicitly threatened retaliation. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called it an "illegal and ruthless attack", stating that his country and its allies plan to make a coordinated response to the attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street on Thursday night. This is the first known fatal attack on commercial shipping in the region after years of attacks, which is related to the tense situation with Iran over its tattered nuclear agreement. Although no one has claimed responsibility for this attack, Iran and its militia allies have previously used so-called 'suicide' drones in attacks that collided with targets and detonated their explosives.

However, Israel, Britain, and the responding US Navy have not yet presented physical evidence of the airstrikes, nor have they provided intelligence information on why they are accusing Tehran.Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett went further in his speech at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, pointing out the need to look straight at the camera and slowly warn: "We know, no matter what, how to convey a message to Iran in our own way

In this photo provided by the US Navy, sailors assigned to the Explosive Ordnance Unit board an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter on the flight deck of the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, heading towards an oil tanker that was attacked near the coast of Oman, Arabia. A US official said that a drone attack blasted a hole in the top of the oil tanker bridge, where the captain and crew were directing the ship. The official declined to be named as the investigation into the attack is still ongoing. The explosion resulted in the deaths of two crew members from the UK and Romania.

The Navy stated that the US nuclear powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and missile destroyer Mitchell escorted Mercer Street to a safe port. On Sunday, satellite tracking information from MarineTraffic.com showed that the oil tanker docked at the Fujairah coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Rab stated in the statement that Iran is "highly likely" to have attacked the oil tanker with one or more drones. We believe that this attack was deliberate and targeted by Iran, and clearly violated international law, "he said. Iran must end such attacks and allow ships to sail freely in accordance with international law

In this photo provided by the US Navy, sailors on an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter on the flight deck of the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier are preparing to head to an oil tanker that was attacked on Friday off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. Authorities announced on Friday that an oil tanker related to an Israeli billionaire was attacked, resulting in the deaths of two crew members near Oman in the Arabian Sea. This is the first death in the region after years of attacks on shipping. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sayyid Khatibzad called the allegations of Iran carrying out the attack "baseless". This is not the first time that the Zionist regime occupying Jerusalem has targeted Iran's Islamic StateThe Republic of Lan has made such hollow accusations, "said Hatib Zad. Wherever this regime goes, it brings instability, terror, and violence, "Bennett expressed condolences from Jerusalem to Britain and Romania for the deaths of its citizens. He said that Israeli intelligence has evidence linking Iran to the attack, but has not provided it. Iran was the one who launched the attack on this ship, "he said. Iran's aggressive behavior is not only dangerous for Israel, but also harms global interests in freedom of navigation and international trade

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attended a cabinet meeting on Sunday at his office in Jerusalem. In recent months, there have been shadows between the two countriesDuring the war, other ships related to Israel were also targeted, and Israeli officials attributed the attacks to the Islamic Republic. In the summer of 2019, shipping in the region began to be targeted, and about a year later, then President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers. At the same time, Israel is suspected of carrying out a series of major attacks on Iran and Iranian shipping.

In addition, Iran recently saw its largest warship sink in mysterious circumstances in the nearby Gulf of Oman.Mercer Street is owned by Taihei Kaiun Co. of Japan and managed by London based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of the Zodiac Group led by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. According to the US Maritime Safety Administration, in early July, the Liberian flagged container ship CSAV Tyndall, which had previously been in contact with Zodiac Maritime, experienced an unexplained explosion in the northern Indian Ocean.

This attack marks Bennett's first major confrontation with Iran, as Bennett took over as prime minister in June after the coalition agreement overthrew Israel's long serving prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is suspected of launching a series of attacks against Iran, including an explosion at the country's main enrichment site and the killing of a renowned military nuclear scientist. However, Bennett has also made hawkish remarks in the past, stating the need to attack Tehran's "octopus head" rather than Iranian regional militia groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. The attack on Mercer Street was his first attack during his tenure as prime minister, and analysts believe he may seek a major attack in retaliation. Amos Harel, a long-term military analyst at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, wrote, "Israel may want to give a loud blow; that's the spirit of political commentators in Jerusalem." "The purpose of this strike is to end things without the possibility of escalation. But as usual, the event also depends on the other side