Islam Times - US using attacks on two oil tankers to trigger war in Mideast

Islam Times - The administration of US President Donald Trump is using the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman last week to trigger a conflict in the region, an American analyst says.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and “other officials are continuing their accusations against Tehran for the attacks on these tankers, saying all options are on the table,” James George Jatras said.

“The people around President Trump really want to use this as a pretext to do something to Iran,” Jatras noted.

The Trump administration faces skepticism, especially from wary US allies, linking Iran to attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday.

The attacks on the Marshal Islands-flagged Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous sent shock waves through the world.

Japan and Germany have requested stronger evidence than the grainy video released by the US Defense Department appearing to show an Iranian vessel removing an item said to be a mine.

Similar demands for “credible” proof have been made by a senior European Union foreign policy official and by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party.

Tensions between the United States and Iran have been deteriorating since early May, when the White House tightened the enforcement of its unlawful oil sanctions in an attempt to drive Iran’s oil exports to zero.

Experts say hawkish elements in Trump’s administration, including US National Security Adviser John Bolton and Pompeo, are running US foreign policy and influencing Trump by feeding him false information, particularly in regard to Iran.

The Washington Post reported in mid-May that Trump was opposed to the extreme anti-Iran policy of his hawkish aides, insisting he preferred a diplomatic solution instead of war.