Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said in remarks published yesterday that the kingdom would not hesitate to confront threats to its security and joined the US in accusing Iran of being behind the attacks on two tankers traveling near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
The US alleges Iran used limpet mines to target the tankers, pointing to black-and-white footage it captured that US officials describe as Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated tanker Kokuka Courageous.
However, the tanker’s crewmembers described “flying objects” as having targeted the vessel.
Photo: AFP
In an interview with the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, the crown prince said Iran disrespected the visit to Tehran by the Japanese prime minister last week and responded to his diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions by attacking the two tankers.
The prince offered no evidence to back up his allegation.
“The problem is in Tehran and not anywhere else,” he said. “Iran is always the party that’s escalating in the region, carrying out terrorist attacks and criminal attacks either directly or through its militias.”
The attacks “confirm the importance of our demands of the international community to take a decisive stance” against Iran’s behavior, he said.
“The kingdom does not seek war in the region, but we will not hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, sovereignty and vital interests,” he said.
Iran rejects accusations it was responsible for the incidents.
Meanwhile, the two crippled tankers, which caught fire on Thursday, are being assessed off the coast off the United Arab Emirates before their cargos are unloaded, the ships’ operators said yesterday.
Damage assessment on Kokuka Courageous and preparation for a ship-to-ship transfer of its methanol cargo would start after authorities in Sharjah complete security checks, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said.
The Norwegian tanker Front Altair is sitting off the coast of Sharjah’s Khorfakkan port while the Kokuka Courageous is anchored off the emirate’s Kalba port, according to Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data.
“Our crew remain on board the Kokuka Courageous. They are safe and well,” Bernhard Schulte said.
The crew of the Front Altair, who had been picked up by Iranian boats, departed Iran from Bandar Abbas airport to Dubai International Airport on Saturday, the ship’s operator Frontline said.
A specialist team would inspect the Front Altair before deciding on how to unload its naphtha cargo, which belongs to CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油).
Additional reporting by Reuters and staff writer
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
‘SALAMI-SLICING’: Beijing’s ‘gray zone’ tactics around the Pratas Islands have been slowly intensifying, with the PLA testing Taiwan’s responses and limits, an expert said The Ministry of National Defense yesterday condemned an intrusion by a Chinese drone into the airspace of the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) as a serious disruption of regional peace. The ministry said it detected the Chinese surveillance and reconnaissance drone entering the southwestern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone early yesterday, and it approached the Pratas Islands at 5:41am. The ministry said it immediately notified the garrison stationed in the area to enhance aerial surveillance and alert levels, and the drone was detected in the islands’ territorial airspace at 5:44am, maintaining an altitude outside the effective range of air-defense weaponry. Following
RSS