In a lengthy interview with IRNA, Ali Reza Akbari, uses the term "Triangle of Evil" to refer to the Zionist regime, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a group of regional actors seeking to tarnish Tehran’s image.
He says more than 60,000 ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz in a traffic separation zones that are close to the Jask Port in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.
“Both ships were carrying alcohol, one had medical alcohol ethanol while the other was loaded with industrial alcohol (methanol) that can catch fire but are less prone to explosion,” said Akbari during the interview on Monday.
“These chemical are carried in double-layered steel tankers to prevent leakage in case of crash or collision. One of these ships weighed 27,000 tons and Front Altair weighed 110,000 tons. Choosing these two ships at targets requires access to Automatic Identification System (AIS) that are installed on the vessels or in ports. The devices’ ranges are limited to the VHF and up to 50 nautical miles on the horizon and vertically, they can be spotted by satellites,” Akbari explained.
“Accessing a vessel’s tracking is very hard from ports or other vessels. Not everybody can track vessels successfully in case they don’t know their exact details. So, it seems that these attacks took place to complete the Fujairah plot. Very exact and controlled,” he warned, referring to an attack on two tankers in the Emirati Fujairah Port one month ago.
The former official, who is now head of strategic studies center in Iran, believes the ships were being tracked from their departure port (UAE) through land and aerial radars until they found the perfect location in front of the Jask Port.
“The ships’ VHF, their cargo, the owner and their capacities were all calculated exactly. Their routes from the separation zone in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as their relatively-not-dangerous cargo were are taken into account. Also, don’t forget that it took place when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran,” detailed the Iranian analyst.
“It all shows that the Emirati government was the one actor that knew about details of the cargo, and the ships’ routes,” according to Ali Reza Akbari.
He rejected claims that the tankers were attacked by sea mines as argued by the US.
“Militarily speaking, it couldn’t have been naval mines. It’s been a very clumsy propaganda especially after that doubtful, blurry images they showed. Let me explain how this works. Naval mines float in water, so they stick to the ships’ bottom, however, the ships were attacked from sides. Also, such mines cause huge explosions that damage ship’s main structure and sides. The impact is so big that it can even drown very big ships,” he noted.
He goes on to explain why the US-released video that supposedly shows Iranian military officials approaching the vessel, doesn’t match the reality. “The blurry video shows some people approach the targeted ship and get close to its side two meters above the water line, that is five meters from its hull. It’s not possible that Iranian forces remove one mine stuck to the ship’s side that didn’t explode,” added the analyst.
“Naval mine is a big crystal as big as 20 litres. Even magnetic mines are big and immersive in the water. How is it possible that a mine as small as a plate sticks to the ship’s side three metres above the water line and not explode? It’s a bigger joke that you can remove a naval mine with your bare hands,” Akbari warns, pointing the finger at the UAE for its role in the sabotage attack.
Except for Britain, no other country has accepted the US supposed evidence about Iran’s role in the Sea of Oman attacks.
The Japanese owner of the vessel has also questioned the “evidence”. Germany has called the film a premature proof to point fingers at Iran.
Head of the strategic studies center warns about rising tensions in the region, saying the Triangle of Evil “Zionist regime, Saudi Arabia and the UAE” are very active in this regard. “The illegitimate interests of Netanyahu’s government as well as those of Bin Salman’s governance and Ben Zayed fantasies are the reasons why tensions between Iran and the US should rise,” he cautioned.
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