Security Council to Discuss Deadly Tanker Attack on Friday

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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Security Council to Discuss Deadly Tanker Attack on Friday

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Britain will discuss a deadly tanker attack off the coast of Oman during a closed-door United Nations Security Council on Friday, diplomats said, but the 15-member body is not expected to take any action.

Britain told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that it was "highly likely" that Iran used one or more drones to carry out the tanker attack last week, which killed two crew members - a Briton and a Romanian.

Israel's defense minister warned Thursday that his country is prepared to strike Iran after the fatal drone strike on the Mercer Street tanker, which is managed by a firm owned by an Israeli billionaire.

Speaking to the news website Ynet, Benny Gantz responded to whether Israel was prepared to attack Iran with a blunt “yes.”

“We are at a point where we need to take military action against Iran," Gantz said. "The world needs to take action against Iran now.”



Sensitive Israeli Documents Obtained by Iran to be Unveiled Soon, Minister Says

Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Sensitive Israeli Documents Obtained by Iran to be Unveiled Soon, Minister Says

Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Israeli and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, April 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Sensitive Israeli documents obtained by Tehran should be unveiled soon, Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib told state TV on Sunday, describing them as a "treasure trove" which will strengthen Iran's offensive capabilities.

Iranian state media reported on Saturday that Iranian intelligence agencies had obtained a large trove of sensitive Israeli documents. Khatib said these were related to Israel's nuclear facilities and its relations with the United States, Europe and other countries, and to its defensive capabilities, Reuters reported.

It was not clear whether the information breach was linked to a reported hacking of an Israeli nuclear research center last year which Tehran is only disclosing now amid heightened tensions over its nuclear program.

"The transfer of this treasure trove was time-consuming and required security measures. Naturally, the transfer methods will remain confidential but the documents should be unveiled soon," Khatib said, adding that in terms of volume, "talking of thousands of documents would be an understatement."

In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli agents had seized a huge "archive" of Iranian documents that showed Tehran had done more nuclear work than previously known.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if Tehran did not come to an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. But Trump in April reportedly blocked a planned Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites in favour of negotiating a deal with Tehran.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that abandoning uranium enrichment was "100%" against Iran's interests, rejecting a central US demand in talks to resolve a decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Western powers say Iran is refining uranium to a high degree of fissile purity close to the level suitable for atomic bomb fuel. Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.