Tensions rise as US blames Iran for attack on two oil tankers

Former USS Cole Commander Kirk Lippold says the U.S. needs to provide irrefutable proof to the United Nations that Iran is responsible for the attack on two oil tankers in the Middle East.

An Iranian vessel removed an unexploded mine that had been attached to a Japanese-owned oil tanker which suffered serious damage after an explosion in the Gulf of Oman early Thursday, U.S. officials told Fox News, as the U.S. Navy released video purportedly showing the incident.

The imagery came from the USS Bainbridge, a guided-missile destroyer which rescued 21 sailors from the stricken tanker.

At least one other mine attached to tanker's hull detonated, causing the blast. It happened near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil shipments in the region.

A U.S. official told Fox News an Iranian gunboat approached the Kokuka Courageous later in the day and removed the unexploded triangular-shaped limpet mine, the same type of mine used to damage four other tankers in the Gulf of Oman last month.

The official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information, said the suspected Iranian vessel did not bear any flags, nor did the crew members wear any uniforms. But, the class of vessel, what the U.S. military has called a fast inshore attack craft (FIAC), was the same type of ship used by Iran to harass American warships in the Persian Gulf in recent years.

Other Iranian small boats have remained near the stricken oil tanker since the attack early Thursday, the official added.

The official said the order to abandon ship was given after the tanker's captain spotted the unexploded mine, not because of the fire aboard the ship.

Another tanker, a Norwegian-owned vessel called the Front Altair, also was attacked in the Gulf of Oman Thursday. Its crew was being held in Iran, according to U.S. officials.

"This is what we’re out here for," Cmdr. M. Kathryn Devin, the USS Bainbridge's commanding officer, said of the rescues. "Our mission is to ensure maritime safety and to answer the call for aid when we can."

At the State Department on Thursday afternoon, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the attacks on both oil tankers.

Iran's U.N. Mission said its government "categorically rejects" the U.S. claim that it was responsible for the attacks and condemned it "in the strongest possible terms."

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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