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Oil tanker "Mercer Street" (2017): The ship was attacked in the Indian Ocean last week
Photo: Hasenpusch / dpa
A few days ago an oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Oman.
A British citizen and the Romanian ship's captain were killed in the incident.
Several states suspect that Tehran is behind the attack.
After Israel, the USA and Great Britain, Romania is now blaming Iran for a drone attack on the oil tanker "Mercer Street" in the Indian Ocean.
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu therefore appointed the Iranian ambassador in Bucharest on Monday, as his ministry announced.
Based on the information provided by the partners from the USA and Great Britain, it is assumed that "the attack was deliberate" and "was coordinated by Iran," according to a statement from the Romanian Foreign Ministry.
Romania reserves the right to an "appropriate reaction", "together with its international partners".
The US government had previously announced that it would meet with allies in order to find an "appropriate response" to the attack, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday.
After examining the evidence, the US government assumes that Iran carried out the attack on July 29 using exploding drones.
"There is no justification for this attack," Blinken said.
Iran's actions threaten the freedom of navigation, international trade and the crew of ships, said the minister.
Foreign Minister Dominic Raab had previously announced in London that Great Britain was working with its partners on a reaction to the "unacceptable" attack.
Iran rejects allegations
Israel had also accused Iran of the attack.
"Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terror, destruction and instability that harm us all," wrote Foreign Minister Jair Lapid on Saturday night on Twitter.
Iran has denied allegations of being responsible for the attack.
The ship is managed by the British company Zodiac Maritime.
The chairman of the Zodiac group is the Israeli businessman Ejal Ofer, who, according to media reports, also owns shares in the group.
Ships from the Persian Gulf reach the Gulf of Oman, which is also bordered by Iran, via the Strait of Hormuz, and from there they can reach the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.
The route is considered to be one of the most important sea connections for international trade.
fek / asc / dpa
