Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has come under fire for ignoring pleas from Israel to retaliate against Iran after the Islamist regime allegedly launched a 'suicide' drone attack on an oil tanker that killed a British Army veteran off the coast of Oman.
The unidentified Briton, as well as a Romanian crew member, died late on Thursday night after the MV Mercer Street oil tanker was attacked by a so-called kamikaze drone, which is laden with explosives and detonates on impact with its target.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid quickly accused Iran - the country's regional arch-rival - of being behind the attack and urged Britain to take action against Tehran - but was met with silence from London.
Mr Lapid said: '[I] noted to [Mr Raab] the need to respond severely to the attack. Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terror, destruction and instability that hurt us all. The world must not be silent in the face of Iranian terror.'
However, the British Foreign Office referred the Sunday Telegraph to a statement which did not blame any country or group for the attack when asked to respond to Mr Lapid's remarks. MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office and the Israeli Embassy in London for further comment.
The British Government's silence is likely to come as a disappointment to Israel, which has lobbied its allies to adopt a tougher anti-Iran stance in recent years. Though Britain and Israel are close trading allies, the two countries have drifted apart amid tensions over the Iran nuclear deal and the Palestinian conflict.
Speaking to MailOnline, the Henry Jackson Society think-tank today accused the Government of 'ignoring Iran's malfeasances for too long' and allowed the regime to 'get away with murder'. It called on the Foreign Secretary to 'finally act' and called appeasing Iran 'naive' and 'plain stupid'.
Sam Armstrong, director of communications, said: 'The UK has ignored Iran's malfeasances for too long. From the kidnapping of Nazanin Zatgari-Ratcliffe, to the attacks on Saudi oilfields, to the hijacking of British flagged boats, we have let Iran get away with murder.
'Now that the Government has seen the deadly consequences of this outrageous negligence it must finally act. Placating Iran's Ayatollahs while ignoring our allies in Israel is not just naive, it's plain stupid.'
It is not clear if Britain is planning any response to the suspected Iranian strike, but Israel has said that it is planning to punish Iran over the killings via the United Nations.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has come under fire for reportedly ignoring pleas from Israel to retaliate against Iran after the Islamist regime allegedly launched a 'suicide' drone attack on an oil tanker that killed a British Army veteran off the coast of Oman. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid quickly accused Iran - the country's regional arch-rival - of being behind the attack and urged Britain to take action against Tehran - but was met with silence from London
This January 2, 2016 photo shows the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street off Cape Town, South Africa
The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea
On Saturday, an Israeli military official told the Ynet newspaper they would launch their own response to the attack on the Mercer Street vessel. 'The only question is how and when we'll respond,' the Israeli official added.
A Foreign Office statement sent to the Sunday Telegraph said: 'We are deeply concerned by today's incident off the coast of Oman. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the British and Romanian nationals killed in the incident. Vessels must be allowed to navigate freely in accordance with international law.
Iranian state media has claimed the incident was in retaliation for an airstrike on a Syrian military airport, which it accused Israel of being behind, according to CNN. The Syrian regime is backed by Iranian forces.
Analysts said the attack bore all the hallmarks of tit-for-tat exchanges in the 'shadow war' between Israel and Iran, in which vessels linked to each nation have been targeted
