in the Gulf of Oman on June 13,

the incident immediately

heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran

and raised alarms about the security

of a vital passageway for a third

of the world's petroleum.

The U.S. blamed Iran for unprovoked attacks

on the ship.

“— present a clear threat.”

Iran said American officials were “warmongering.”

The main evidence the U.S. has presented to the public

to support its claim are these photos

and this surveillance footage taken several hours

after the attack on one of the tankers.

The footage has significant gaps,

cuts out at key moments and zooms in and out.

It does not depict a single sequence

of events or an explosive being planted.

Days later, the U.S. released new images

to back up its claim.

They don't show definitively who is

responsible for the attacks.

But here's what the images do show us.

First, the tanker:

We can confirm that this tanker,

the Kokuka Courageous,

is the same ship that was approached

by the Iranian vessel.

These distinctive features match.

And shipping data confirms

it was 20 miles off the coast of Iran

when it was attacked.

Next, the patrol boat, which does appear

to be Iranian.

It matches the model and dimensions

of patrol boats used by the

Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy.

The chevron pattern on the bow of the boat matches,

and so does the center console.

And they both have antiaircraft guns.

An Iranian source familiar with the country's

military operations told us that this clearer picture

of the same patrol boat does show an I.R.G.C. vessel.

And the incident occurred in Iran's area of responsibility.

Last, the alleged mine:

A U.S. Navy ship took this photograph

before the Iranian patrol appeared.

It shows damage to the ship and what

appears to be an object protruding from the hull.

The new images released by the U.S. Defense Department

appear to show the outline of a limpet mine

similar to this mine design on the right.

The dimensions of the mine match.

These markings match clasps used

to attach the mine to the tanker and this remnant

matches the size and design of those clasps.

Weapons experts say this could resemble limpet mines that

are available to Iran, but there's

still no conclusive proof that they are Iranian.

So it appears that an Iranian boat

did remove a limpet mine from the ship's hull.

But importantly, the pictures released by the U.S.

lack the crucial piece of evidence:

The moment the mine was placed.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

has said that President Trump wants to avoid war.

“President Trump does not want war.

We will continue to communicate that message

while doing the things that are

necessary to protect American interests in the region.”

Even still, the Defense Department

decided to send 1,000 additional troops

to the region in response.

But as U.S.-Iran relations continue

to crumble, this slim waterway

will remain a hotbed of tension.