THE US has released footage which it claims shows an Iranian navy boat removing a mine from the side of a bombed oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman yesterday.

Washington has accused Tehran of lying about the "blatant" attacks on two ships which burst into flames on Thursday leading to the rescue of 44 crew members.

13 The US claims this image shows the Iranian military removing a magnetic mine from the side of the Kokuka Courageous Credit: Reuters

13 The Pentagon released video and pictures which it believes are 'proof' that Iran was behind the attacks on the two tankers Credit: Reuters

13 The alleged mine can be seen on the side of the Kokuka Courageous while the picture shows a huge hole on the left

The tanker in the footage is the Kokuka Courageous while the second vessel attacked yesterday is the Front Altair which is now also believed to have been blasted by a mine.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed the finger at Iran and the Pentagon released the "proof" of Iran's involvement.

America claims the video and images shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from the Courageous.

It is claimed the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran strongly denies the "unfounded and reckless" claims accusing the US instead of spreading “disinformation”.

“The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots and false flag operations in the region,” Iran's mission to the United Nations said.

“Warning, once again, about all of the US coercion, intimidation and malign behaviour, Iran expresses concern over suspicious incidents for the oil tankers that occurred today.”

While it was reported that the Altair was struck by a torpedo, it now appears that both tankers were attacked with limpet mines although the exact cause of the blasts has not been officially confirmed, Reuters reports.

Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the 'Tanker War' when the US Navy escorted ships through the region.

What we know so far:

Two oil tankers were seriously damaged in attacks in the Gulf of Oman yesterday

The Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous are believed to have been blasted by mines

It was initially reported that the Altair was struck by a torpedo - but it now appears that both ships were hit by magnetic mines

Washington believes Iran is behind the shocking attacks

The US released footage which it claims shows Iranian military removing a mine from the Courageous

Tehran denies involvement and has accused the US of 'Iranophobia'

Almost 50 sailors had to be rescued from the stricken tankers in the Gulf

The US alleges Iran used similar mines to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah last month.

But the owner of the Kokuka Courageous has since said the tanker's crew saw "flying objects" before the attack, suggesting the ship was not damaged by mines, according to AP.

Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicts the US military account.

Pompeo said the attacks were part of a "campaign" of "escalating tension" by Tehran which posed a threat to international peace and security.

Iran blasted his “inflammatory remarks” and said they amounted to “another Iranophobic campaign”.

BLAME GAME

"Iran categorically rejects the US unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms," the Iranian mission said in a statement.

The hardline Islamic nation added that the US poses the "most significant threat" to the peace and security of the Persian Gulf region.

"The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as the massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said.

Iran's foreign minister later dismissed the US accusations as "sabotage diplomacy".

13 A huge fire rages on board the Front Altair after it was attacked in the Gulf of Oman

13 The tanker was one of two ships attacked sparking an evacuation of all crew members

13 An aerial picture showing the huge blaze raging on the oil tanker after the attack Credit: AP:Associated Press

13 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the blatant attacks Credit: Getty Images - Getty

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blames Iran for attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in blast at the Islamic state

Pompeo said the US will defend its forces and interests in the region but gave no specifics about any plans and he took no questions.

Hours later it was revealed the US Navy is sending the guided missile destroyer USS Mason to the scene of the attacks.

The USS Bainbridge rescued 21 of the 44 stricken sailors involved in the incident near the Strait of Hormuz.

Britain is working on the basis that Iran is responsible for the attacks and warned Tehran that their alleged behaviour was “deeply unwise”.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “This is deeply worrying and comes at a time of already huge tension.

"I have been in contact with Pompeo and, while we will be making our own assessment soberly and carefully, our starting point is obviously to believe our US allies.



WAR OF WORDS

“We are taking this extremely seriously and my message to Iran is that if they have been involved it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region."

Norwegian shipping firm Frontline, which owns the Altair, has denied Iranian reports that the tanker had sunk.

The ship was built in 2016 and is flagged to the Marshall Islands - a US associated state in the Pacific Ocean.

Chartered by Taiwan's state oil refiner CPC Corp, the huge vessel set sail from the UAE port of Ruwais on Tuesday and was due to arrive in Kaohsiung on June 30.

Speaking to Reuters, the CEO of CPC's petrochemical division Wu I-Fang said the tanker was "suspected of being hit by a torpedo."

He said it was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, which trade sources estimate to be worth more than $30 million.

Paolo d'Amico, chairman of the tanker association, Intertanko, said concern was rising for other crews braving the powder keg shipping lanes.

'A MAJOR ESCALATION'

He said: "If the waters are becoming unsafe, the oil supply to the entire Western world could be at risk.”

It comes as tensions in the Persian Gulf between the United States and Iran are threatening to reach boiling point.

A Saudi-led coalition has described the attack as a "major escalation".

In recent weeks, Washington has sent a number of battleships to the region in response to what it says are Iranian threats against American interests and its allies in the region.

The Kokuka Courageous - which is owned by Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyohad - set sail from Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia on June 10 and was due to reach Singapore by June 22.

Oil prices rose by 3.5 per cent following news of the explosions, according to reports.

Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif branded the explosions as "suspicious" calling them "reported attacks on Japan-related oil tankers."

He said the incident had happened as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close American ally.

13 The incident reportedly happened in the Gulf of Oman this morning

Gulf of Oman attack- 23 oil tanker crew members filmed safe in Jask after suspected attack

Speaking about the attacks, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said: “The President has been briefed on the attack on ships in the Gulf of Oman.

“The US Government is providing assistance and will continue to assess the situation.”

Authorities do not believe that any British nationals were on the two ships.

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by reports of explosions and fires on vessels in the Gulf of Oman. We are in contact with local authorities and partners in the region.”

This comes after the US claimed Iran used explosives to blow huge holes in four ships - including two Saudi oil tankers - anchored in the Persian Gulf last month.

The ships reportedly had ruptures measuring up to ten foot across in their hulls as a result of the May 12 sabotage attacks.

Recent US and Iran tensions May 5: USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force is deployed in Middle East in response to 'a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings' by Iran.

May 8: Iran vows to enrich its uranium stockpile if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The US responds by imposing sanctions on Iran's metals industry.

May 10: The US says it will move a Patriot missile battery into the Middle East to counter threats from Iran.

May 24: President Trump says the US will bolster its military presence in the Middle East with an additional 1,500 troops.

May 12: The UAE says four commercial ships off its eastern coast "were subjected to sabotage operations," just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets air false reports of explosions at a nearby Emirati port.

13 Huge plumes of thick black smoke billow from the massive tanker in the Gulf of Oman Credit: AP:Associated Press

13 One of the tankers on fire in the Gulf of Oman following the attack yesterday Credit: AFP or licensors

13 The Front Altair, from the US-linked Marshall Islands, was one of the ships reportedly attacked today near Iran Credit: Shipspotting.com

Two tankers: all you need to know Front Altair was built in 2016 and is flagged to the Marshall Islands

was built in 2016 and is flagged to the Marshall Islands It is owned by Norwegian company Frontline and is operated by Dubai-based International Tanker Management

The ship was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical product, worth $30m when it was attacked

It was carrying 23 crew members who were all rescued

The vessel can carry up to 62,849 tonnes of cargo

It weighs a staggering 109,894 tonnes

Kokuka Courageous was built in 2010 and is flagged to Panama

was built in 2010 and is flagged to Panama It is owned by Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyo and is operated by BSM Ship Management

The ship was carrying 25,000 tonnes of methanol when it was attacked

21 sailors on board were rescued. One suffered minor injuries

They were targeted near the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates - with one of the tankers due to be loaded with Saudi crude oil bound for the US.

A huge US naval presence has built up in the Gulf over recent weeks amid a fevered standoff between Washington and Tehran.

US intelligence revealed Iran was on the verge of carrying out offensive action to disrupt and attack American and partner interests in the region.

It led to the deployment of US aircraft carriers, Patriot missiles and B52 bombers over recent days.

Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Trump pulled the US out of last year.

NUKE DEAL READY TO EXPLODE

In the agreement, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions.

Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.

The Islamic Republic has said it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium.

Meanwhile, US sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.

US and Iran - a troubled history Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, Iran was one of America's biggest allies in the Middle East and was led by the US-backed Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

However, since the seismic revolt, Iran has been led by murderous Islamic fundamentalists and tensions with Washington have remained ever since.

On November 4, 1979, the Iranian regime took 52 US diplomats hostage in response to President Carter’s administration allowing Iran’s deposed former leader into America.

The hostage crisis lasted for 444 days and also included a failed rescue mission which cost the lives of eight US soldiers.

In April 1980, the US ended diplomatic relations with Iran – a break which lasted for more than 30 years.

In April 1983, Washington blamed the Iranian-funded terror group Hezbollah for carrying out a bombing attack on the American embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

The assault, carried out amid a brutal civil war in Lebanon, killed 17 Americans.

In November of that year, two truck bombs in Beruit killed 241 US peace keepers. The US again blamed Hezbollah for the incident.

The Clinton White House, in 1995, placed a total embargo on Iran meaning US companies could not trade with the country.

And in 2002, George W Bush included the Islamic Republic in his famous “Axis of evil” speech along with North Korea and Iraq.

13 The latest explosions in the region come after four ships were attacked with explosives last month in the Persian Gulf Credit: Reuters

13 The United States deployed an additional warship to the Gulf Credit: AFP

What is the Iran nuclear deal?

The deal is an agreement between the Islamic Republic and a group of world powers aimed at scrapping the Middle Eastern country's nuclear weapons programme.

It saw Iran agree to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium by 98 per cent.

According to the deal, Iran would receive relief from the US, the European Union and the United Nations Security Council on all nuclear-related economic sanctions.

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The agreement was reached on July 14, 2015, and was signed by world powers in Vienna, Austria.

However, on May 8, 2018, President Trump announced the US would withdraw from the agreement - which he has repeatedly called "insane" and ridiculous".

America's withdrawal from the deal mean crippling economic sanctions will once again be placed on Iran - further heightening tensions between the two countries.

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