US army blames Iran for attack on Japanese tanker in Gulf of Oman; says cargo hit by mine resembling Iran's

It said that the US army recovered 'hand and finger prints' from Japanese tanker, that would help the identification process of the assailants of the ship.

(FILES) In this file picture obtained by AFP from Iranian news agency Tasnim on June 13, 2019 reportedly shows an Iranian navy boat trying to control fire from Norwegian owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman. -(Photo by - / TASNIM NEWS / AFP)

New Delhi: The Japanese tanker that was attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week was damaged by a limpet mine with 'resemblance' to Iranian one, news agency AFP reported citing the US military in the Middle East. It said that the US army recovered 'hand and finger prints' from Japanese tanker, that would help the identification process of the assailants of the ship. “The limpet mine that was used in the attack is distinguishable and it is also strikingly bearing a resemblance to Iranian mines that have already been publicly displayed in Iranian military parades," Commander Sean Kido of US Naval Forces Central Command was quoted as saying by the agency. Kido told reporters in the UAE emirate of Fujairah that the US military has recovered biometric information of the assailants on the Japanese ship including "hand and finger prints." Iran’s defence minister "categorically rejected" accusations that Tehran was behind two tanker attacks, earlier on Wednesday, describing evidence presented by Washington as "unsubstantiated", official news agency IRNA reported. Washington has earlier also blamed Iran for last week's attacks, releasing images and a grainy video it alleges shows Iranians on a patrol boat removing an unexploded limpet mine attached to one of the tankers. Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were hit in a suspected attack on Thursday in Gulf of Oman. The attack left one tanker ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels, media reports said. As per Japan’s Trade Ministry the two vessels had "Japan-related cargo" as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up a high-stakes visit in Tehran, seeking to ease tensions between Iran and the US. (with inputs from agencies)