Aden (South24)

An Israeli defense official accused Iran of being behind the attack on an oil tanker off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman on Tuesday.

The AFP news agency quoted the official as stating that the attack was an Iranian provocation aimed at raising tension ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

Yesterday evening, an oil tanker was attacked by a drone, off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman.

According to the "AP", the tanker is called "Pacific Zircon" and is owned by Idan Ofer, an Israeli billionaire.

The tanker sails under the flag of the state of Liberia and is operated by the Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, according to the agency.

So far, no party has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Iranian "Nour News" agency described the incident as an "Israeli plot."

The agency reported that the attack aims to accuse Iran of seeking to manipulate the course of the World Cup in Qatar.

The attack did not cause injuries, pollution or oil leakage, according to the company that owns the ship.

Israeli media stated that the drone that targeted the oil tanker was an Iranian "Shahid".

The attack coincided with an escalation by the Houthis in Yemen against oil facilities in South Yemen.

Within less than a month, the Houthis had targeted oil ports in Hadramout and Shabwa multiple times.

The Yemeni government accuses Iran of supplying the Houthis with the drones used in the attacks.