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An armed drone thought to be operated by Iran conducted a deadly strike on an Israeli-linked tanker off Oman on Thursday, increasing tensions between Tel Aviv and Tehran.
The Trends Journal has reported on the shadow war being played out between Israel and Iran. (SEE: “ISRAEL TARGETS IRANIAN OIL SHIPMENTS TO SYRIA.”) The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has been impeding shipments of Iranian oil to Syria and has targeted at least a dozen ships. Defense Minister Benny Gantz has blamed Iran for targeting an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman.
The New York Times reported that Israel has been accused of asserting itself militarily against Iran by orchestrating attacks and assassinations on Iranian soil. Our 20 April article “IRAN BLAMES ISRAEL FOR NUCLEAR FACILITY EXPLOSION,” noted that while Israel did not comment on suspected military strikes, the Financial Times reported that in this case, it was apparent there were “officially sanctioned leaks to local media and the U.S. press,” with Israel essentially taking credit for the incident.
Mercer Street, which is a Liberian-flagged product tanker, was attacked while in the Arabian Sea. Two crew members were killed. There was no cargo on board, according to CNN. The report said the ship is Japanese-owned but managed by a company owned by Israeli shipping tycoon Eyal Ofer.
The CNN report said the ship was able to operate on its own power and was headed to a port accompanied by U.S. warships, including the USS Ronald Reagan carrier. The two crew members who died were a Briton and Romanian.
“Iran isn’t only an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terror, destruction, and instability which harms the entire world. We must never remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also harms freedom of navigation,” Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign minister, said.
There seemed to be scant evidence to support the claim that it was an Iranian drone. The Journal said a regional security official did not provide any specifics and a U.S. military official essentially said a suicide drone attack seemed like a classic Iranian move.
TREND FORECAST: Should military tensions between Israel and Iran escalate and war breaks out between the two nations, oil prices will spike to well over $100 a barrel, which will, in turn, spike inflation rates and trigger a global equity market crash. It will also mark the beginning of World War III.