Mercer Street, an Israeli-managed oil tanker that was attacked is seen off Fujairah Port in United Arab Emirates, August 3, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo.

JNS.org – Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Wednesday that Iran was behind a fatal drone attack last month against an oil tanker.

“Our assessment is that the UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] employed in the Mercer Street attack was launched from Iranian territory and approved by Iranian leadership,” Gantz told foreign diplomats in a briefing, reported the AP. The vessel is a Japanese-owned tanker managed by London-based Zodiac Maritime, a company owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

He also said Israel would act alone if necessary to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons.

The oil tanker was attacked on June 29 off the coast of Oman by an armed drone that killed two crewmen, one British and one Romanian.