Tanker attack: UK and US blame Iran for deadly ship attack

The UK and US believe Iran was behind a tanker attack that killed two people, and have vowed to respond, calling it a violation of international law.

The MV Mercer Street, operated by an Israeli-owned firm, was attacked off Oman on Thursday.

A British national and a Romanian citizen were killed.

The statements came after Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said there was “evidence” that its longstanding foe Iran was responsible.

Mr Bennett warned that “we know how to send a message to Iran in our own way”, while Tehran rejected what it called the “baseless accusations”.

On Monday, Iran warned the UK, US and Israel that any actions in response to the drone attack on the tanker “will be met with a severe and decisive answer”.

The attack on the MV Mercer Street appears to be the latest escalation in an undeclared “shadow war” between Israel and Iran.

For months there have been several attacks on both Israeli and Iranian-operated vessels, which are seen as tit-for-tat incidents, though casualties are rare.

Iran has also accused Israel of targeting its nuclear sites and scientists.

In a statement on Sunday, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said London believed Iran had used one or more drones against the MV Mercer Street, calling it “deliberate, targeted, and a clear violation of international law”.

“Iran must end such attacks, and vessels must be allowed to navigate freely,” he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was also “confident that Iran conducted this”, and that an “appropriate response” would follow.

Israel’s Prime Minister said he expected the international community to make clear to Iran that it had made a serious mistake.

image caption Naftali Bennett raised speculation about retaliation, saying “we know how to send a message to Iran in our own way”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told reporters that “the Zionist regime (Israel) has created insecurity, terror and violence”.

He said Israel “must stop such baseless accusations”, warning: “Whoever sows the wind reaps the whirlwind.”

The escalation comes against the backdrop of thorny talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna to try to revive a frayed 2015 deal curbing Iran’s nuclear programme.

Western countries suspect Iran might be seeking to build nuclear weapons in violation of conventions – something Iran strongly denies.

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China flood death toll rises sharply to over 300

The death toll from the floods in China’s central Henan province last month has risen sharply to at least 302, officials have confirmed.

About 50 people remain missing after the region was engulfed by severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall.

Almost 13 million people were affected and nearly 9,000 homes were damaged.

The majority of the deaths were reported in the city of Zhengzhou where floodwater inundated the city’s subway system and vehicles were swept away.

The city reported a year’s rainfall within the space of three days.

On Monday the mayor of Zhengzhou, Hou Hong, confirmed the death toll in a news conference, telling reporters that 39 people were found dead in underground car parks.

Another 14 people were killed after water inundated Line 5 of the city’s subway system, he said. Video footage posted to social media last month from inside train carriages showed people just managing to keep their heads above water.

Last week, a floral tribute at the subway station was sealed off by authorities.

Several dams and reservoirs in the province breached warning levels and soldiers were mobilised to divert rivers which had burst their banks.

At the time, President Xi Jinping warned of “significant loss of life and damage to property”.

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Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: Rebels vow to fight on until blockade ends

The commander of the rebel group in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray has told the BBC they will continue fighting until their terms for a ceasefire are met.

Gen Tsadkan Gebretensae said the group aims to force the federal government to lift a blockade in the region and agree to a political solution to the crisis.

The government has not reacted to the rebel’s conditions.

Thousands have been killed since war broke out in November last year.

Millions of people have also been displaced by the fighting which both sides have been accused of committing human rights abuses and war crimes.

At least 400,000 people are living in famine conditions, according to a UN estimate, with access to the region still being hampered. UN World Food Programme lorries did manage to reach Tigray at the weekend after a long delay because of security concerns.

Despite the government announcing a unilateral ceasefire in June after the rebels made significant gains, including the recapture of the region’s capital, Mekelle, it has continued to mobilise militia from other parts of the country to help stall the rebels’ advance in neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.

image caption Gen Tsadkan is accused of treason by the federal government

Gen Tsadkan, a former head of the Ethiopian army, told the BBC Newshour programme that his fighters’ incursion to the neighbouring regions was aimed at removing a federal blockade that has prevented aid from coming through.

He said that before a ceasefire is agreed the federal government had to:

• stop the persecution of Tigrayans
• release political prisoners
• accept an inclusive dialogue to determine the region’s future.

He said the war could have been avoided, and accused Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of not willing to find a peaceful solution to the political standoff between the federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

“I regret that this has happened, I regret that this could have been avoided, but I’m happy that the Tigray people fought and are in a position to demand their rightful position in the region,” Gen Tsadkan said.

The Ethiopian government, which has designated the TPLF as a terrorist organisation, has not reacted to the general’s comments.

The TPLF was Tigray’s governing party until it was ousted by the national army in November last year but the rebels say they are the legitimate regional government of Tigray.

Its leaders fell out with the Mr Abiy over his political reforms, though the TPLF’s capture of federal military bases in Tigray was the catalyst for the invasion.

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Angolan President in Ghana for three-day visit

Accra, Aug. 1, GNA – Angolan President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco arrived Accra Sunday for a three-day official visit to the country.

He is in Ghana at the invitation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who was in Angola in August, 2019, for a 2-day official visit at the Angolan leader’s request.

President João Lourenço’s visit is aimed at strengthening the economic ties that exist between the two countries, as well as exploring possible areas of co-operation for their mutual benefit.

He was met on arrival at the airport by the Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul.

President Lourenco will on Monday, August 2, confer with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, and preside over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations between both countries.

He is expected also to tour, lay a wreath and plant a tree at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, and later hosted to a State Banquet at the Jubilee House by President Akufo-Addo.

On Tuesday, President Lourenco is billed to visit the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), where he would interact with the Secretary Genral of the body, Wamkele Mene.

He has also been scheduled to visit and address Ghana’s Parliament on Tuesday.

President Lourenco will depart for his country on Wednesday.

He is being accompanied by officials from his country.
GNA

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