July 2021 Gulf of Oman incident
On 29 July 2021, the oil tanker MT Mercer Street, travelling from Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with no cargo on board, was attacked off the coast of Oman. The ship is flagged in Liberia. It is Japanese-owned and managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime, an international ship management company headquartered in London and led by billionaire shipping magnate Eyal Ofer, who is an Israeli citizen.
| Part of the 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis | |
| Date | 29 July 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean |
| Target | Merchant ship MT Mercer Street |
| Deaths | 2 crew members killed |
| Property damage | 1 merchant ship damaged |
| Suspects | Iran (alleged by U.S., British, Israeli and Romanian officials; denied by Iran) |
The United States Navy, which responded to assist the vessel, stated that it thought the attack came from a drone. Israeli, United States, British and Romanian officials blamed the attack on Iran. Iranian state media initially said the incident was in retaliation for an alleged Israeli airstrike on a military airport in Syria, but the Iranian government formally denied involvement.
The attack was preceded by two similar incidents that occurred in May and June 2019 and was followed by another in August 2021.