SPRING STREET

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Conclusions of investigation shared with Great Britain, Israel and other allies

The conclusions of the investigation into the attack on the 'Mercer Street' off the coast of Oman conducted by US Navy specialists were shared with Great Britain, Israel and other allies. The Americans believed they had proof that the action against Mercer Street was conducted with Iranian-made drones. The findings collected by the investigators matched those of other episodes. The investigation, conducted by US Navy experts, brings order to the chronology of events that took place south of the coast of Oman. The tanker was attacked three times between 29 and 30 July. The attackers used small kamikaze aircraft. The explosion of one of these devices causes the death of a Romanian sailor and a British private guard. On the ship the experts, sent by the aircraft carrier 'Ronald Reagan' were dropped off from a helicopter as a quick intervention. The military examined the gash in the aft part, near the crew quarters area. They collected fragments, debris, pieces sufficient to complete the mosaic. It is an analysis by blasters and technicians from the Forensic. The design of the drone was similar to the one used to hit Saudi oil plants in Aramco in September 2019. Raid claimed by the Yemeni guerrilla Houti, but which was actually carried out by Iran. It could be the Shahed 136 model, equipped with a high potential charge (compatibly with the reduced measures of the offensive system). It is very likely that it was launched from an Iranian land base and not from a mother unit or submarine, as assumed at the outset. The tanker remained anchored off Fujairah as of Aug 9. Report with photos: https://www.corriere.it/esteri/21_agosto_08/attacco-nave-mercer-street-usa-mostrano-prove-droni-iraniani-9b329d02-f839-11eb-b07f-1a8bf3bb59b3.shtml

Drone which killed two seafarers was produced in Iran

A US Defense Department expert team concluded that the drone behind the deadly attack on the 'Mercer Street' was produced in Iran, US Central Command said in a statement on Aug 6. The assault on the tanker has ratcheted up tensions in the region and prompted unified outcry from the G7 coalition of nations, whose foreign ministers placed the blame squarely on Iran and condemned the attack as "a clear violation of international law. All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack," the G7 joint statement said on Aug 6. The Pentagon's investigative team, which dispatched to the vessel from the aircraft carrier USS 'Ronald Reagan' found that the tanker was targeted on July 30 by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "loaded with a military-grade explosive," according to the Central Command statement. It had been targeted the day prior "by two unsuccessful explosive UAV attacks."

Mercer Street moored off Fujairah

The 'Mercer Street' that was attacked off Oman dropped anchor on Aug 3 at 2.47 a.m. LT off Fujairah amid accusations Iran was behind the attack in which two crew members were killed. Low visibility due to high humidity made it difficult to see the damage to the vessel at its mooring in the Gulf of Oman off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates. Both the United States and Israel have said their intelligence assessments of the incident concluded that an Iranian drone attacked the ship, managed by prominent Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, as it sailed off the coast of Oman. Tehran denied the accusation. Report with photo: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-linked-ship-hit-in-drone-attack-arrives-at-uae-anchorage/