EU Calls for Utmost Restraint in Regard to Tanker Incidents

At Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers, Germany and others insisted they need a clearer picture before wading into a diplomatic conflict which could have serious implications in the Middle East.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that US and British intelligence needs to be compared with other information from allies. "We have to be very careful," he said, AP reported.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said it was not a time to jump to action without proper information. "The maximum restraint and wisdom should be applied," she said ahead of the monthly foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

Maas said his country has not made up its mind yet about who was behind the alleged attacks on oil shipping in the Gulf of Oman.

He told reporters Monday that Germany was still in the process of collecting information and the evidence provided so far "comes from one side in particular."

Speaking ahead of a meeting of top European Union diplomats in Luxembourg at which a common stance will be debated, Maas said that "with a decision of this kind the utmost care is required and we'll take our time for this."

The United States has released what it claims is evidence that Iran was behind the alleged attacks on oil tankers last week.

Iran has denied any role in the event, and some observers have raised questions about whether the intelligence was being used as a pretext for the US to escalate conflict with the country and bring back Tehran to the negotiating table.

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