President Rouhani Says Attack Was Carried Out by a Government, Not Terrorists


Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke at a news conference in Tehran on Monday and said there is video evidence of an Iranian tanker getting hit by two missiles off the coast of Saudi Arabia, although the video has not yet been released.
The Sabiti is an Iranian-owned oil tanker that officials said was struck in the Red Sea on Friday by two projectiles. At the time of the incident, the Sabiti was 60 miles off the coast of the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
Earlier on Monday, Iran released pictures of the damage that was done to the tanker. The pictures show two separate holes on the side of the ship just above the waterline.
Rouhani did not assign blame to the attack but said, “It wasn’t an act by terrorists, by an individual, a group. It was done by a government.” Rouhani called it a “hostile and treacherous act” and said there would be consequences. Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement in the attack.
The attack comes during heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. A September 14th attack on Saudi oil infrastructure was blamed on Iran, even though Yemen’s Houthis immediately claimed responsibility. The U.S. responded by sending thousands of additional troops to Saudi Arabia.

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