June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident

Not to be confused with the May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident or the 2019 Iranian shoot-down of an American drone over the Gulf of Oman.

June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident
Part of the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
Kokuka Courageous after the fire, with damage shown on the left and the alleged unexploded limpet mine still attached on the right
DateJune 13, 2019 (2019-06-13)
LocationGulf of Oman, Indian Ocean
Coordinates25°28′59″N 57°32′35″E / 25.483°N 57.543°E / 25.483; 57.543
TargetMerchant ships Kokuka Courageous[a] and Front Altair[b] 1 American drone aircraft[2]
Non-fatal injuries1 crew member wounded[3]
Property damage2 merchant ships damaged[3]
Suspects Iran (alleged by the United States, and supported by Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United Kingdom; denied by Iran and owner of Japanese ship)[4][5][6]
Map

On 13 June 2019, two oil tankers were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz while they transited the Gulf of Oman. The Kokuka Courageous, flagged in Panama and operated by a company based in Japan, and Front Altair, flagged in Marshall Islands and operated by a company based in Norway, were attacked, allegedly with limpet mines or flying objects, sustaining fire damage. American and Iranian military personnel responded and rescued crew members. The attacks took place a month after the similar May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident and on the same day, Iranian Supreme Leader Iran Ali Khamenei met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in Iran. Abe was acting as an intermediary between US President Donald Trump and Khamenei.[7][8]

Amid heightened tension between Iran and the United States, the United States blamed Iran for the attacks. Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom supported the United States' accusation.[5] Germany has stated that there is "strong evidence" that Iran was responsible for the attacks,[9] and Japan has asked for more proof of Iran's culpability.[10] Iran denied the accusation, blaming the United States for spreading disinformation and warmongering.[8] In response to the incident, the United States announced on 17 June the deployment of 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East.[11]


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  1. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D.; Pérez-Peña, Richard; Reed, Stanley (13 June 2019). "Tankers Are Attacked in Mideast, and U.S. Says Video Shows Iran Was Involved". Retrieved 14 June 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fox15Jun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Gulf of Oman tankers attacked: Live updates". www.cnn.com. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  4. ^ Washington, Reuters (14 June 2019). "Saudi Arabia agrees Iran was behind tanker attacks, says Adel al-Jubeir". Reuters. Al-Arabiya. Reuters – Al-Arabiya. Retrieved 14 June 2019. {{cite news}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ a b "Saudis, UK agree that Iran behind attacks, Iran denies involvement". The Jerusalem Post. 14 June 2019 – via Reuters.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference rejects was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Gambrell, Jon (13 June 2019). "Tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-US tensions". AP News. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b Pérez-Peña, Richard; Reed, Stanley; Kirkpatrick, David D. (13 June 2019). "Tankers Attacked Again in Gulf of Oman, Raising Fears of Wider Conflict". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  9. ^ "Germany says there is 'strong evidence' Iran behind tanker attacks". DW. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Japan demands more proof from U.S. that Iran attacked tankers". Japan Today. 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  11. ^ Rebecca Morin (17 June 2019). "Pentagon sending 1,000 U.S. troops to Middle East after oil tanker attacks". USA Today. Retrieved 18 June 2019.