National security adviser John Bolton John BoltonMaximum pressure is keeping US troops in Iraq and Syria Woodward book trails Bolton, Mary Trump in first-week sales Ex-NSC official alleges 'unprecedented' intervention by White House aides in Bolton book review MORE said Wednesday that naval mines “almost certainly from Iran” damaged oil tankers in waters off the United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month.

“I think it is clear these [tanker attacks] were naval mines almost certainly from Iran,” Bolton told reporters, according to Reuters. “There is no doubt in anybody’s mind in Washington who is responsible for this and I think it’s important that the leadership in Iran know that we know.”

The presidential adviser also reportedly characterized recent U.S. moves to increase military presence in the Middle East as "prudent and responsible" and said that similar actions could provoke a "very strong" American response.

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“I support what we are doing so far," he said, according to the news service. "The point is to make it clear to Iran and its surrogates that these kind of activities risk a very strong response from the Americans.”

His comments came before a scheduled Thursday emergency meeting of regional leaders to discuss the effects of the attacks on the oil tankers as well as drone strikes on Saudi oil pumping stations.

The UAE has not yet doled out blame for the attack on the oil tankers, which included two Saudi vessels, but Saudi Arabia has blamed the drone strikes on Iran. The strike was claimed by the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen who have been fighting against a Saudi-led group in the impoverished country.

Iran has denied being involved in the attacks.

President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE said last week that the U.S. would send 1,500 troops to the Middle East to counter Iranian presence there amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.