The United Arab Emirates will show restraint after attacks on oil tankers off its coast and is committed to de-escalation during a "difficult situation" caused by Iranian behavior in the region, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said he would not speculate about who was behind Sunday's sabotage acts on four vessels near Fujairah port while an investigation was underway and due to be completed within days.
"We need to emphasize caution and good judgment. It is easy to throw accusations but it is a difficult situation, there are serious issues and among them is Iranian behavior," he said, mentioning concern about Iran's missiles and regional policy.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks on commercial vessels and the drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities, in a statement from his spokesman on Wednesday.
The statement from Guterres says he is following with growing concern the recent incidents and "hardening rhetoric" in the region, which threatens to further increase tensions in the already volatile situation, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
He called for more investigation into attacks on four commercial vessels to determine and hold to account the perpetrators. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed European allies earlier in the week in Brussels of suspicions that Iran or its allies might have have been responsible.
