Covert U.S. forces could be driving the “suspicious” tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman to pile pressure on innocent Tehran, Iran’s parliament speaker hinted Sunday.

“The suspicious actions against the tankers… seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran considering that (the U.S.) has not achieved any results from them,” Ali Larijani told MPs, according to official newsagency IRNA.

He backed his claim by saying there had been a “historical” precedent “during World War II, when Americans targeted their own ships near Japan to create an excuse for hostility.”

A non-belligerent state at the beginning of World War II, the U.S. went to war after Japan’s surprise Pearl Harbor attack on the morning of December 7, 1941.

Larijani also rebuked U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for “his comic statement recommending Iran to use diplomacy in response to the U.S. diplomacy.”

The unsubstantiated accusation against the U.S. came just hours after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman blamed arch-rival Iran for the attacks and vowed his kingdom “won’t hesitate to deal with any threat” to its interests.

In an interview for pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, the crown prince said his country is ready to counter any and all attempts to escalate the conflict, as Breitbart News reported.