US Allegations against Iran in Line with Economic Sanctions: Larijani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani rejected US claims that Tehran was involved in attacks earlier this week on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman, saying that raising such allegations is a “complementary” move to the US economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
“These actions and accusations are supplementary to economic sanctions because they (US officials) did not reach their goals through the sanctions,” Larijani said at an open session of the parliament on Sunday.
He further blamed the US for the attacks on the two oil tankers and said such moves by the Washington government are not unprecedented.
During World War II, the Americans targeted their own vessels near Japan in order to justify the hostility, Larijani stated.
The remarks came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offhandedly blamed Tehran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
On Thursday, the Iranian maritime rescue forces evacuated the crew of two large oil tankers hit by two successive blasts in the Sea of Oman.
A total of 44 sailors have been transferred to Iran's port city of Jask in the southern province of Hormozgan.
The incident took place while Japan’s visiting prime minister was holding a meeting with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
Abe arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and became the first Japanese leader to visit Iran in more than 4 decades.