U.S. Says Drone Fragments on Israeli-Linked Tanker Point to Iran’s Role in Attack

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven leading economies and the European Union also placed blame on Iran on Friday, calling it a “deliberate and targeted attack, and a clear violation of international law.”

“All available evidence clearly points to Iran. There is no justification for this attack,” the joint statement said.

Ambassador Zahra Ershadi, Iran’s deputy representative to the United Nations, on Friday denied Iranian responsibility and accused Israel of “adventurism and destabilizing activities” in the region.

Neither the U.S. nor its European allies have hinted whether they would use military action, sanctions or other measures in response to their conclusions.

The U.S. military said the attack began July 29, when two armed drones landed on the Liberian-flagged Mercer Street, at sea near the coast of Oman, but did no major damage. The crew recovered some of the debris from one of the drones, the military said. The following day, a third drone attacked the ship, killing two crew members, a Romanian and British national, the first deaths after numerous strikes in recent years on ships in the region.

The July 30 attack “required calculated and deliberate retargeting of [Mercer Street] by Iran,” the U.S. military said. A proxy state or terrorist group couldn’t have carried out such an attack so far into international waters, a U.S. official said.

A U.S. ordnance team stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan, the nearest American aircraft carrier, boarded Mercer Street the day of the second attack and collected evidence, including pieces of the drones.

The U.S. “concluded, based on the vertical fin being identical to those on one of the Iranian designed and produced one-way attack ‘kamikaze’ family, that Iran was actively involved in this attack.”

The U.S. military couldn’t say where the drones originated from, but said “the distance from the Iranian coast to the locations of the attacks was within the range of documented Iranian one-way attack UAVs,” or unmanned aerial vehicles.

Separately, U.K. envoy to the U.N. Barbara Woodward said Friday the drone used in the attack was an Iranian-made Shahed 136 UAV, citing an analysis of the debris recovered from the ship.

The Mercer Street is owned by a Japanese company but operated by Zodiac Maritime, which itself is controlled by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s group.

Iran has said Israel was behind an April act of sabotage at its main nuclear plant, and The Wall Street Journal has reported that Israel has been targeting ships carrying fuel and weaponry from Iran to Syria.

The U.N. Security Council discussed the attacks in a closed session Friday, and is expected to discuss the matter again in an Aug. 9 meeting on maritime security.

But the presence of Russia and China as permanent members of the Security Council, with the power to veto resolutions, could limit the body’s ability to react. The two countries have in the past opposed U.S. efforts to reinstate sanctions and a conventional arms embargo against Iran.

The accusation against Iran comes as U.S. talks in Vienna on restoring the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran have stalled. The U.S. is waiting for Iran to return to the negotiating table. There is concern among U.S. negotiators since the election of Iran’s new president that Tehran will stiffen its terms.

The U.S. is developing a sanctions campaign against Iran’s evolving capabilities for precision strikes using drones and guided missiles, according to U.S. officials, amid concerns over the threat these weapons represent to American and allied interests.

—Benoit Faucon in London contributed to this article.

Write to Nancy A. Youssef at [email protected] and Courtney McBride at [email protected]