Suspicion falls on Iran as oil tanker "hit by a projectile" off Oman

Dubai, United Arab Emirates — An oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tension with Iran, an official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The attack happened Tuesday night off the coast of Oman, the Mideast-based defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they did not have authorization to discuss the attack publicly.   The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British military organization in the region that monitors shipping, told the AP: "We are aware of an incident and it's being investigated at this time."

The Reuters news agency quoted Commander Timothy Hawkins of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, which also operates extensively across the region, as saying the American military was aware of an incident in the Gulf of Oman involving a commercial vessel, but offering no further comment.   The official who spoke to the AP identified the vessel attacked as the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon. That tanker is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer.   In a statement, Eastern Pacific Shipping said the Pacific Zircon, carrying gas oil, had been "hit by a projectile" about 150 miles off the coast of Oman. It was not immediately clear whether the explosion was caused by an air or sea-borne device, both of which have been used in attacks on commercial vessels in the region..