Turkey condemns attacks on oil tankers in Gulf of Oman

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkey on June 13 condemned attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

"We are concerned that commercial ships in the Gulf region have been targeted for second time in the last one month," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We attach importance to the maintenance of the safety of navigation in the Gulf region, which has a strategic location in terms of international maritime transport,” the statement added.

The two tankers, the Marshal Islands-flagged and the Panama-flagged, were on their ways to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

At least one of the tankers attacked near Strait of Hormuz was operated by a Japanese company, Japan's Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese Economy Minister Hiroshige Seko as saying.

The tanker is operated by Tokyo-based Kokuka Sangyo Co., according to Kyodo.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has said the attacks were "suspicious" for having been perpetrated during talks between Japanese premier Shinzo Abe with the country's Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on the other hand, blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers.

Late last month, the UAE said four vessels, including two oil tankers, were hit by sabotage attacks near its territorial waters, without blaming anyone for the attacks.

Saudi Arabia had also said military drones carried out attacks on two oil pump stations on the East-West pipeline, which carries oil from Yanbu port on the country's Red Sea coast.

Riyadh blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen for the attacks.