Former US Defense
Secretary Ashton Carter has stressed the need for military intervention against
Iran if it is proven that it has attacked two tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Carter said Friday in an
interview with the magazine "Atlantic" that he supports the theory of
the current Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo that "Iran's agents are the
attack, which means they are responsible for the incident."
"I think there is no
doubt about Pompeo's accusations that the Iranians have done because they are
beginning to feel the pressure of sanctions," he said. "If the attack
is proved by Iranian allies, we should consider Iran responsible."
"Pompeo talked about
the political, economic and not military response to Iran, but in fact, I
prefer the military response to be one of the options," said the former
minister who took office during former President Barack Obama.
Carter's comments come amid
heightened tension in the Middle East after two oil tankers were targeted in
the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, and Washington is pointing fingers at Tehran.