The Washington Post:

By Jason Rezaian

Nearly a week after two oil tankers were attacked with explosives in the Gulf of Oman, what actually happened is still in dispute. What is clear to everyone watching, though, is the Trump administration’s complete lack of credibility as it continues its bumbling attempts to express a coherent Iran policy.

Soon after the attack, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo showed a grainy video of several men on a small boat pulling an object from the side of a much larger vessel. He claimed the video showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the ship. This, he said, was irrefutable evidence that Iran had launched an attack on a Japanese-owned ship. Pompeo made these statements on the same day that Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited Tehran — at the behest of President Trump — to urge Iran to begin new negotiations with the White House.

The skepticism was immediate. Allies who are predisposed to agree with the United States on all issues (such as Britain or and Israel), or specifically on anti-Iran measures (such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates) were on board.

But where was everyone else?

“The video is not enough. We can understand what is being shown, sure, but to make a final assessment, this is not enough for me,” Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, told reporters on Friday. Japan has also requested stronger evidence.

Iran could very well have been behind the tanker attacks, as the Trump administration claims. But the lingering doubts about the White House’s account, expressed by friends and adversaries alike, are the real story here.were attacked with explosives in the Gulf of Oman, what actually happened is still in dispute. What is clear to everyone watching, though, is the Trump administration’s complete lack of credibility as it continues its bumbling attempts to express a coherent Iran policy.

Soon after the attack, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo showed a grainy video of several men on a small boat pulling an object from the side of a much larger vessel. He claimed the video showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the ship. This, he said, was irrefutable evidence that Iran had launched an attack on a Japanese-owned ship. Pompeo made these statements on the same day that Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited Tehran — at the behest of President Trump — to urge Iran to begin new negotiations with the White House.

The skepticism was immediate. Allies who are predisposed to agree with the United States on all issues (such as Britain or and Israel), or specifically on anti-Iran measures (such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates) were on board.

But where was everyone else?

“The video is not enough. We can understand what is being shown, sure, but to make a final assessment, this is not enough for me,” Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, told reporters on Friday. Japan has also requested stronger evidence.

Iran could very well have been behind the tanker attacks, as the Trump administration claims. But the lingering doubts about the White House’s account, expressed by friends and adversaries alike, are the real story here.

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