Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has described reported attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz as "suspicious" as they coincided with a meeting between Japan's prime minister and Iran's supreme leader. The incidents on Thursday near the strategic sea lane - through which one-third of all oil traded by sea passes - left one vessel ablaze and the other adrift, forcing scores of the crew to abandon the ships. Al Jazeera's correspondents report from from the White House, Tehran, and the United Nations.
Saudi Arabia is claiming that an alleged "sabotage attack" took place against its tankers in the Gulf. The Kingdom's foreign ministry has called the reported incident a dangerous threat to navigation and international security. The United Arab Emirates also says that four commercial vessels were hit by "sabotage attacks" near the port city of Fujairah in the Strait of Hormuz, off its eastern coast. Two of Saudi's oil tankers were among the targets. The alleged incidents come amid rising tensions between Iran and the US. Iran has called for a probe to find out who's responsible. Meanwhile, EU Ministers are meeting in Brussels today to try to salvage the Iran nuclear deal. After the US enacted new sanctions against Iran last week, Tehran threatened to pull out of the deal unless its European partners make concessions.
