Israeli premier blames Iran for tanker attack; Tehran denies

Israel’s prime minister has directly blamed Iran for a drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman that killed two people

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Israel's prime minister on Sunday directly blamed Iran for a drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman that killed two people as Tehran denied being involved in the assault. The comments by Premier Naftali Bennett and Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh come after the strike Thursday night on the oil tanker Mercer Street, which marked the first-known fatal attack after years of assaults on commercial shipping in the region linked to tensions with Iran over its tattered nuclear deal. While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Iran and its militia allies have used so-called “suicide” drones in attacks previously. On Sunday, Khatibzadeh described the allegation Iran carried out the attack as “baseless” during his last news conference.