TEHRAN – Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said on Sunday that Riyadh was not behind a suspected strike against an Iranian-owned oil tanker off the Saudi coast in the Red Sea on Friday.

“We did not engage in such behavior at all. This is not how we operate and that’s not how we did (it) in the past,” al-Jubeir told reporters in Riyadh, according to Reuters.

“The story is still not complete. So let’s wait and find out what happened before we jump to conclusions,” he added.   

On Friday morning, two separate explosions, possibly caused by missile attacks, hit the SABITI oil tanker owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC).

According to a statement issued on Friday by the NITC, the explosions took place some 60 miles from the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

The explosions hit the vessel’s hull, causing heavy damages to the ship’s two main tanks, which resulted in an oil spill in the Red Sea. The spill was stopped, according to officials.

According to IRNA, the missiles hit the right side of the tanker’s hull, creating holes measuring 50-to-150  centimeters.

The NITC said on Friday that the tanker was heading toward the Persian Gulf with a low speed.       

MJ/PA