Why the World Is ‘Skeptical’ When Team Trump Blames Iran

The U.S. wants to convince the world that Iran attacked tankers in the Gulf of Oman and so far the evidence seems pretty damning for Tehran. But experts say building a coalition to hold Iran responsible for the attacks may be tricky because some allies blame the Trump administration for the current tensions and are suspicious of its intentions towards Tehran.

Speaking to reporters outside the Pentagon on Friday, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanhan said he was looking to “build international consensus” after the U.S. claimed that Iran had carried out attacks against two Japanese and Norwegian tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

America’s allies in Europe have so far sent mixed messages about who’s responsible for the attacks in the Gulf of Oman. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told reporters that the Centcom video is “not enough” evidence to hold Iran responsible while the British government backed the U.S. claims in a statement which said that “it is almost certain” that Iran’s military was behind the tanker attacks.