4:04 p.m. ET, June 13, 2019
The US blamed Iran for the attacks today. Here's what Iran has said about them.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran is responsible for today's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
He said the the United States government is drawing this conclusion based on "on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation" — but he did not offer any concrete evidence to support the claim.
National Security Adviser John Bolton earlier today also spoke out to put responsibility on Iran, but also did not offer evidence.
Here's what Iran has said about the attacks: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif noted that one of the ships is Japanese owned and that the attack took place as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran. He called the attack "suspicious" in a tweet.
"Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM [Shinzo Abe] was meeting with Ayatollah [Khamenei] for extensive and friendly talks. Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," Zarif tweeted.
Meanwhile, Russia has cautioned against "hasty statements" over the attack, with a spokesperson for the Kremlin saying it was premature to draw conclusions about the cause of the incident.