The NATO alliance on Tuesday condemned the deadly attack on Israeli-operated tankers last week and urged Iran to respect international shipping rules.
In addition, the EU also condemned this “unacceptable” attack and “any action that undermines peace and stability in the region.”
The United States, Britain and Israel allege that Iran launched an attack on the vessel MV Mercer Street off the coast of Oman last week, killing a British security guard and a Romanian crew member.
Iran announced the ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi as its new president on Tuesday, but denied involvement. It warned that it would respond to any “adventurism” of Western enemies.
Britain and Romania are NATO allies, while the United States promised to take a “collective response” to this incident.
On Tuesday, a NATO spokesperson “strongly condemned” the attack.
NATO spokesperson Dylan White said: “Freedom of navigation is of vital importance to all NATO allies and must be upheld in accordance with international law.”
“The United Kingdom, the United States and Romania have concluded that Iran is very likely to be responsible for this incident.
“Allies remain concerned about Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the region and call on Tehran to comply with its international obligations.”
EU Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nabila Masrali told reporters: “The exact circumstances of this attack must be clarified. We have taken note of the investigations conducted by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel.
“This is an action that violates the freedom of navigation in the region, and of course it is unacceptable.”
