A11
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2019
US: Video shows Iran removing mine from tanker
By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press
that targeted four oil tankers off the nearby
Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. offi cials simi-
larly accused Iran of using limpet mines.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said
the U.S. assessment of Iran’s involvement
was based in part on intelligence, as well as
the expertise needed for the operation. It was
also based on recent incidents, including the
Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to
a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on
a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same
time.
“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked
attacks present a clear threat to international
peace and security, a blatant assault on the
freedom of navigation and an unacceptable
campaign of escalating tension by Iran,”
Pompeo said. He didn’t elaborate.
Iran also denied being involved in last
month’s attacks. Its foreign minister ques-
tioned the timing of Thursday’s incidents,
given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to
enter into talks with Washington but Tehran
“rejected” the overture.
“The supreme leader’s government then
insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned
oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threat-
ening the lives of the entire crew, creating a
maritime emergency,” Pompeo added.
On Friday, Abe condemned the attack as a
threat to safe navigation.
Abe told reporters he briefed Trump by
phone on his trip to Iran but did not give
details, except to say the president thanked
him for trying to help de-escalate tensions
in the region and that he planned to continue
cooperating closely with the U.S.
The U.N. Security Council held closed
consultations on the tanker incidents late
Thursday at the request of the U.S. but took
no action.
Tensions have risen as Iran appears poised
to break the nuclear deal, which Trump repu-
diated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to
limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange
for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now,
Iran is threatening to resume enriching ura-
nium closer to weapons-grade levels if Euro-
pean nations don’t offer it new terms to the
deal by July 7.
Already, Iran says it quadrupled its pro-
duction of low-enriched uranium. Mean-
while, U.S. sanctions have cut off oppor-
tunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium
and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on
course to violate terms of the nuclear deal
regardless.
Tanker attacks in Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The
U.S. military released a video Friday it said
showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard remov-
ing an unexploded limpet mine from one
of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic
Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted
to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.
Iran denied any role in Thursday’s appar-
ent attacks, which have again roiled the Per-
sian Gulf amid heightened tensions between
Tehran and Washington over the unraveling
nuclear deal with world powers.
Four other oil tankers off the nearby
Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered sim-
ilar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-al-
lied rebels from Yemen have struck U.S. ally
Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles.
President Donald Trump withdrew Amer-
ica last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that
Iran reached with world powers and recently
imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing
its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply
into its oil exports. While Iran maintains it
has nothing to do with the recent attacks, its
leaders repeatedly have threatened to close
the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20
percent of the world’s oil fl ows.
Iran accused Washington of waging an
“Iranophobic campaign” against it, while
Trump countered that the country was “a
nation of terror.”
“Iran did do it,” he said of the attack, in
remarks Friday morning to “Fox & Friends.”
Trump also warned Iran not to close off
the strait, saying if it does so, it won’t be shut
for long.
The black-and-white U.S. video of the Ira-
nians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker
Kokuka Courageous came after its crew
abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated
explosive on its hull, said Capt. Bill Urban,
a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central
Command. It separately shared photos of the
vessel, which showed what appeared to be a
conical limpet mine against its side.
In the video, the boat from Iran’s paramil-
itary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside
Kokuka Courageous at 4:10 p.m. Thursday.
The Iranians reach up and grab along where
the limpet mine could be seen in the photo.
They then sail away.
Limpet mines, which are magnetic and
attach to a ship’s hull, are designed to disable
a vessel without sinking it.
Analysts say Iran, if involved, wouldn’t
want investigators to fi nd an unexploded
mine because they could check its serial
Strait of
Strait
Hormuz
of
Hormuz
IRAN
June 13 attacks
on two oil tankers
Fujairah
Dubai
U.A.E.
May 12 attacks
on four oil tankers
Gulf of
Oman
OMAN
30 miles
‘THE UNITED STATES HAS NO INTEREST IN ENGAGING
IN A NEW CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
HOWEVER, WE WILL DEFEND OUR INTERESTS.’
Capt. Bill Urban | a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command
numbers and other attributes to trace it.
“The U.S. and the international com-
munity stand ready to defend our interests,
including the freedom of navigation,” Urban
said in a statement. “The United States has
no interest in engaging in a new confl ict in
the Middle East. However, we will defend
our interests.”
In a statement from its U.N. mission, Iran
accused the U.S. of escalating tensions.
“The U.S. economic war and terrorism
against the Iranian people as well as its mas-
sive military presence in the region have
been and continue to be the main sources of
insecurity and instability in the wider Persian
Gulf region and the most signifi cant threat to
its peace and security,” the statement said.
In Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Cou-
rageous said its sailors saw “fl ying objects”
before the attack, suggesting it wasn’t dam-
Sanders leaving
White House job,
returning to Arkansas
Agency recommends
White House aide
Conway be fi red
Associated Press
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — White House press
secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was
marked by a breakdown in regular press brief-
ings and questions about the administration’s
credibility, as well as her own, will leave her
post at the end of the month, President Don-
ald Trump announced.
Trump said Thursday he’s encourag-
ing her to run for governor when she returns
home to Arkansas, where her father once held
the job.
Sanders is one of Trump’s closest and most
trusted White House aides and one of the few
remaining who worked on his campaign, tak-
ing on the job of advocating for and defend-
ing a president who had his own unconven-
tional ideas about how to conduct the people’s
business.
At an unrelated White House event,
Trump described Sanders as a “warrior” as
he called her to the stage. Sanders, appear-
ing emotional, said serving Trump has been
“the honor of a lifetime” and pledged to
remain one of his “most outspoken and loyal
supporters.”
Sanders, who is married and has three
young children, later told reporters she wanted
to spend more time with her family, but she
did not rule out running for public offi ce.
WASHINGTON — Taking unprece-
dented action, a federal watchdog agency rec-
ommended Thursday that President Donald
Trump fi re one of his most ardent defenders,
counselor Kellyanne Conway, for repeatedly
violating a law that limits political activity by
government workers.
The U.S. Offi ce of Special Counsel, which
is unrelated to special counsel Robert Muel-
ler’s offi ce, said in a letter to Trump that Con-
way has been a “repeat offender” of the Hatch
Act by disparaging Democratic presiden-
tial candidates while speaking in her offi cial
capacity during television interviews and on
social media.
Federal law prohibits employees of the
executive branch from using their offi cial
authority or infl uence to affect the result of
an election. Trump and Vice President Mike
Pence are exempt from the Hatch Act, but
there are no exceptions for White House
employees.
The agency does not have the authority to
fi re Conway, who was appointed by Trump,
so it would be up to the president to follow its
recommendation and dismiss one of his most
unwavering defenders. Conway is known for
her fi ery television appearances in support of
the president and his policies.
SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
aged by mines. Company president Yutaka
Katada offered no evidence for his claim,
which contradicted the U.S. military account.
Katada also said crew members saw an
Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify
whether this was before or after the attacks.
The suspected attacks occurred at dawn
Thursday about 25 miles off the southern
coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with
naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radi-
oed for help as its cargo of fl ammable chem-
icals caught fi re. The Kokuka Courageous,
carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia and
Qatar, called for help a short time later.
The U.S. Navy sent the USS Bainbridge,
which picked up 21 sailors from the Kokuka
Courageous, and they stayed overnight on
the destroyer, returning to their vessel Friday
to help in it being towed.
Thursday’s attack resembled one in May
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THURSDAY
FRIDAY
REGIONAL FORECAST
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Seattle
64 53
64 54
64 54
63 52
63 52
Low clouds may
Clouds breaking Clouds and sun Mostly cloudy
break
Partly sunny
63 52
Partly sunny
65 52
Mostly cloudy
Aberdeen
Olympia
66/53
77/57
Wenatchee
Tacoma
Moses
Lake
78/52
ALMANAC
UNDER THE SKY
TODAY'S TIDES
Astoria through Thursday
Tonight’s Sky: Today, the sun
rises earliest at 5:21 a.m. PDT and
sets at 9:01 p.m. PDT.
Astoria / Port Docks
Temperatures
High/low ................................ 64/54
Normal high/low .................. 64/50
Record high .................. 78 in 1917
Record low .................... 41 in 2001
Precipitation
Thursday ................................. Trace
Month to date ........................ 0.42”
Normal month to date ......... 1.30”
Year to date .......................... 22.43”
Normal year to date ........... 34.66”
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
Time
High (ft.) Time Low (ft.)
1:07 p.m.
none
6.8 6:58 a.m. -0.9
6:41 p.m. 2.1
Cape Disappointment
12:56 p.m. 6.4 6:12 a.m. -1.1
none
5:53 p.m. 2.3
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
Hammond
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today .................. 5:23 a.m.
Sunset tonight ............... 9:09 p.m.
Moonrise today ............. 7:36 p.m.
Moonset today ............... 4:28 a.m.
Full
Last
New
First
1:03 p.m.
none
Warrenton
1:02 p.m.
none
July 9
7.2 6:42 a.m. -0.8
6:25 p.m. 2.2
Knappa
12:32 a.m. 9.1 7:59 a.m. -0.7
1:44 p.m. 7.1 7:42 p.m. 1.8
Depoe Bay
June 17 June 25 July 2
7.0 6:30 a.m. -1.0
6:17 p.m. 2.3
12:11 p.m. 6.5 5:43 a.m. -1.2
11:27 p.m. 8.9 5:23 p.m. 2.5
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Honolulu
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Francisco
Wash., DC
Sun.
Hi/Lo/W
85/70/pc
81/66/s
73/60/t
92/74/pc
75/53/t
90/74/pc
93/79/pc
74/60/pc
86/76/t
82/68/s
103/78/s
69/56/pc
85/69/pc
89/71/pc
75/65/c
77/57/c
90/73/c
76/52/pc
90/74/pc
93/76/pc
73/60/pc
86/79/t
81/70/pc
104/79/s
70/56/s
87/73/pc
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy,
c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms,
r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice.
88/61
Hermiston
The Dalles 90/59
Enterprise
Pendleton 79/48
85/55
86/59
La Grande
82/51
81/52
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Hi/Lo/W
80/54
Kennewick Walla Walla
86/60 Lewiston
91/57
76/53
Salem
Pullman
89/56
Longview
64/53 Portland
81/57
84/60
Yakima 90/59
78/48
Astoria
Spokane
89/62
Corvallis
81/50
Albany
80/52
John Day
Eugene
Bend
81/50
84/49
83/57
Ontario
90/58
Caldwell
Burns
83/45
86/55
Medford
93/57
Klamath Falls
86/46
City
Baker City
Brookings
Ilwaco
Newberg
Newport
Today
Hi/Lo/W
83/46/s
70/53/s
62/54/c
81/51/s
60/48/s
Sun.
Hi/Lo/W
86/53/pc
72/58/pc
62/55/pc
80/53/pc
60/50/pc
City
North Bend
Roseburg
Seaside
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Today
Hi/Lo/W
62/51/s
86/55/s
64/53/pc
81/52/s
79/54/pc
Sun.
Hi/Lo/W
62/52/pc
86/55/pc
64/54/pc
81/52/pc
78/55/pc