The Pentagon has corrected the statement about the attack on the Mercer Street tanker

The agency rejected claims that the attack was carried out from the territory of Yemen.

The press service of the US Department of Defense on Tuesday corrected the statement of one of the representatives of the department about the attack on the Mercer Street tanker. The Pentagon actually rejected the claims that the attack was carried out from the territory of Yemen but still insists on Iran’s involvement in the incident.

We are talking about the statements that the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Affairs of the United States, Dana Stroul, made on the same day at a hearing in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate of the United States Congress. U.S. Senator Todd Young (Republican from Indiana) asked Stroul if she could confirm reports that “the recent attack on the Mercer Street tanker in the Gulf of Oman using Iranian-made drones came from Yemen.” “Yes, I can confirm these reports,” a Pentagon spokeswoman replied. She added that we are talking about a “drone attack carried out with the support of Iran.”

Later, the press secretary of the US Department of Defense, John Kirby, clarified Stroul’s statements on Twitter. She, according to Kirby, “did not confirm that the attack on Mercer Street with the help of UAVs came from Yemen.” According to Kirby, Stroul “spoke about the statement issued on Friday by the Group of Seven countries and the investigation of the US Central Command, which clearly indicated Iran’s involvement in the attack, but did not mention direct links with Yemen.”

Some Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, accused Iran of the attack on the Mercer Street chemical tanker flying the flag of Liberia on the night of July 30. Zodiac Maritime, the ship’s operator, is owned by Israeli entrepreneur Eyal Ofer. As a result of the incident, which occurred 280 km off the coast of Oman, two crew members of the ship were killed – a Romanian citizen and a British citizen. Washington and London have said they are consulting with allies to give a coordinated response to the attack.