TEHRAN – Behrouz Nemati, spokesman for the Majlis presiding board, said on Tuesday that the Israelis might have been behind the recent incidents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Four commercial ships were targets of a sabotage attack off the UAE coast on Sunday. The incident reportedly took place near Fujairah port, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, but caused no casualties.

Saudi Arabia confirmed that two Saudi oil tankers sustained “significant damage”. Another vessel was Norwegian-registered, whilst the fourth was reportedly UAE-flagged.

Meanwhile, Iran, which borders the strait, called for a full investigation.

“It seems that the recent incidents in the Emirates were the misdemeanors of the Israelis,” Nemati said, according to ISNA.

Speaking about a closed session of the parliament earlier in the day, the lawmaker said the incident was one of the issues raised during the session.

He added that the official stance of the Islamic Republic is the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.

On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said the UAE incidents were “alarming” and “regrettable”.

Mousavi called for the clarification of the exact dimensions of the incident. 

Referring to the negative impact of these incidents on shipping safety and maritime security, he warned against plots by “ill-wishers” to disrupt regional security. 

Mousavi also called for the vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements.

MH/PA