The United Arab Emirates seems to be distancing itself from U.S. claims blaming Iran for recent oil tankers attacks in the gulf region.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, "Honestly we can’t point the blame at any country because we don’t have evidence. If there is a country that has the evidence, then I’m convinced that the international community will listen to it. But we need to make sure the evidence is precise and convincing."
An investigation was led by the UAE, Norway, and Saudi Arabia into the attack on four tankers back in May. The conclusion of the investigation was that a state actor was responsible due to the sophistication of the attack, but no conclusive evidence pointing to Iran.
After the more recent attacks in the Gulf of Oman, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo immediately blamed Iran without offering any evidence. US Central Command then released a grainy black and white video of a boat alongside one of the tankers as evidence.
What Central Command has shown the UAE does not seem to be sufficient enough proof to blame Iran.
Dave DeCamp is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn NY, focusing on US Foreign policy and wars. He is on Twitter at @decampdave.