UK summons Iranian ambassador over oil tanker attack

Diplomatic row over deadly attack on MV Mercer Street escalates as Iran warns it is ready to respond to any threat to its security.

The diplomatic fallout from a deadly attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman escalated on Monday, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson branding it “outrageous” as London summoned Iran’s ambassador over the incident. A British national was one of the two crew members on board the MV Mercer Street merchant vessel who were killed during Thursday’s incident. The other was a Romanian national. The United Kingdom, the United States and Israel have all blamed Tehran for the attack on the vessel, which is operated by the London-based ship management company Zodiac Maritime owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.