Alwaght- Japan voiced concerns over the United States’ decision to sent 1,000 more troops to the West Asia following the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
"It is a matter of deep concern that tensions will escalate in the region of the Middle East", Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told on Tuesday a briefing, as cited by Kyodo news agency.
On Monday, acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan announced deploying the additional forces to the region "for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats".
On Thursday, two Japanese oil tankers, Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, were hit by explosions and fires in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.
While the causes of the incident remain unknown, the US did not hesitate to accuse Iran for the attacks. However, Washington had not provided any evidence to support its allegations. Iran has also rejected the claims as baseless.
Iran has denied all the allegations of having a role in the incident.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned against attempts to lay the blame on Iran before any thorough investigation into the incident.
