A damaged Japanese tanker arrived Sunday at a UAE anchorage site after it was rocked by explosions in Gulf waters as Saudi Arabia accused Iran of being behind the attack.
The Kokuka Courageous was carrying highlyflammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday when it came underattack along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair — the second assault ina month in the strategic shipping lane.
US President Donald Trump has said the twin attacks had Iran "written all over it" — rejecting Tehran's vehement denial — and Saudi Arabia has also lashed out against Tehran.
In his first public comments since the attacks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday he "won't hesitate" to tackle any threats to the oil-rich kingdom.
"We do not want a war in the region… Butwe won't hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty, ourterritorial integrity and our vital interests," he told pan-Arab dailyAsharq al-Awsat.
"The Iranian regime did not respect thepresence of the Japanese prime minister as a guest in Tehran and responded tohis (diplomatic) efforts by attacking two tankers, one of which wasJapanese."
The US military on Friday released grainyfootage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an "unexplodedlimpet mine" from one of the tankers.
"Kokuka Courageous has arrived safely atthe designated anchorage at Sharjah," the vessel's Singapore-based BSMShip Management said in a statement Sunday.
The crew, who remained on board, were"safe and well", it said.
A damage assessment and preparations for transferringthe ship's cargo would start "once the port authorities have completedtheir standard security checks and formalities", it added.
BSM Ship Management had said earlier Kokuka Courageous was heading towards the Kalba anchorage on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, facing the Gulf of Oman.
