Drone strike blamed after blast kills two on oil tanker off Oman

The flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to board an MH-60S SeaHawk helicopter to head to an oil tanker that was attacked off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea on Friday, July 30, 2021. An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Quinton A. Lee/U.S. Navy, via AP)

US Navy explosives experts believe a drone strike targeted an oil tanker that came under attack off the coast of Oman, killing two on board including one from the UK.

The strike on the oil tanker Mercer Street on Thursday night marks the first known fatal attack after years of assaults on commercial shipping in the region linked to tensions with Iran over its tattered nuclear deal.