Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed as a”fabricated” claim by Israeli spy agency Mossad that Iran was behind the recent attacks near the Emirati port of al-Fujairah, saying he had warned about such false flag attacks in the region.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Trump said Mossad was simply peddling an anti-Iranian scenario made up by the B-Team — referring to US National Security Adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“The #B_Team's boy who cries wolf is crying once again: this time Mossad is fabricating intelligence about Iran's involvement in sabotage in Fujairah. I've warned of “accidents” and false flags—we know what happens when you believe their lies. We've been here before, haven't we?”
The #B_Team's boy who cries wolf is crying once again: this time Mossad is fabricating intelligence about Iran's involvement in sabotage in Fujairah. I've warned of “accidents” and false flags—we know what happens when you believe their lies. We've been here before, haven't we?
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 5, 2019
Israeli media have reported over the past days that Mossad had collected material at the site of the alleged sabotage of four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month that incriminated Iran.
The reports quoted unnamed Israeli officials as saying that the attack was “a pretty impressive commando operation” that sought to “damage the vessels without injuring those on board.”
After initial reports of the Fujairah explosions emerged on May 12, the UAE denied there had been any incident but later on confirmed that four commercial vessels had been targeted by “sabotage operations” near its territorial waters.
Saudi Arabia announced a day later that two of its vessels had sustained damage in the mysterious attacks.
Israeli reports stated that Mossad had provided its evidence to US intelligence agencies, prompting some American officials pin the attacks on Iran.
Bolton said in late May that the May 12 incident had been caused by Iranian naval mines, without providing any evidence to substantiate his claim.
“I think it is clear these (tanker attacks) were naval mines almost certainly from Iran,” he claimed.
Pompeo repeated the claims last Thursday, telling reporters before leaving for a trip to Europe that Tehran carried out the attacks “to raise the price of crude oil throughout the world.”
Tensions reached a new peak between Iran and the US after Trump administration's decision after the attacks to send an aircraft carrier as well as B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to defend itself against what it called an imminent “threat” from Iran.
Iran has slammed the attacks as “lamentable” and “worrying.”
Zarif said in the aftermath of the attacks that he had already warned of such suspicious “accidents” because of Washington’s renewed warmongering policies promoted by Bolton and other US hawks.