TEHRAN – The UK Labor Party leader has called on the government to abstain from escalating tensions with Iran without “credible evidence” that Tehran was responsible for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

Jeremy Corbyn said Britain risked increasing the threat of war after the Foreign Office said it was “almost certain” in its assessment that “a branch of the Iranian military … attacked the two tankers on 13 June”, the Guardian reported on Saturday.

The foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, had said earlier that the U.S. “immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence”.

Corbyn tweeted: “Britain should act to ease tensions in the (Persian) Gulf, not fuel a military escalation that began with U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement.

“Without credible evidence about the tanker attacks, the government’s rhetoric will only increase the threat of war.”

On Friday, Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran “did do it”.

The price of oil rose sharply on Thursday amid fears of disruption to one of the world’s most important tanker routes.

The suspected attacks came after four commercial ships were “subjected to sabotage operations” in the Persian Gulf in May.

SP/PA