Dubai, June 14 (AP/UNB) — The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene.

The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion. The ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.

Iran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an "unfounded claim" in the U.S.' "Iranophobic campaign." However, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the "Tanker War," when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region.

The black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.

A Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said.

"The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation," Urban said. "The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests."

Iran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations.

"The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security," the statement said.

The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.

The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack," without elaborating.

Thursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don't sink, a vessel.

Dubai, June 14 (AP/UNB) — The U.S. blamed Iran for suspected attacks on two oil tankers Thursday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, denouncing what it called a campaign of "escalating tensions" in a region crucial to global energy supplies.

The U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze. The ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region that the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines — designed to be attached magnetically to a ship's hull — to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah and the bombing of an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed fighters in May, he said.

"Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran," Pompeo said. He provided no evidence, gave no specifics about any plans and took no questions.

At the United Nations, the United States asked for closed Security Council consultations on the tanker incidents later Thursday.

Iran's U.N. Mission said the government "categorically rejects" the U.S. claim that it was responsible for the attacks and condemned it "in the strongest possible terms."

A statement from the mission issued Thursday evening said Iran "stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security of strategic maritime passages." It warned of "U.S. coercion, intimidation and malign behavior" and expressed concern "over suspicious incidents" involving the two tankers on Thursday.

Iran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.

Pompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran "rejected" the overture.

"The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency," Pompeo added.

Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the "Tanker War," which saw the U.S. Navy escort ships through the region. Regardless of who is responsible, the price of a barrel of benchmark Brent crude spiked as much as 4% immediately after the attack, showing how critical the region remains to the global economy.

"The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high," said Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, the largest international association representing ship owners.

The suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.

The U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a "reported attack," without elaborating.

In Washington, senior U.S. officials said the U.S. had photographed an unexploded mine on the side of one of the tankers. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said the U.S. will reevaluate its presence in the region and is considering a plan to provide military escorts for merchant ships.

Frontline, the firm that operates the Front Altair, told The Associated Press that an explosion was the cause of the fire. Its crew of 23 — from Russia, the Philippines and Georgia — was safely evacuated to the nearby Hyundai Dubai vessel, it said.

BSM Ship Management said the Kokuka Courageous sustained hull damage and its 21 Filipino sailors had been evacuated, with one suffering minor injuries. All 21 were placed aboard the Bainbridge, according to Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command.

Earlier, Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers were transferred to an Iranian port in the southern province of Hormozgan. The discrepancy could not be immediately reconciled.

The Front Altair had been bound for Taiwan, the Kokuka Courageous for Singapore, according to the data firm Refinitiv.

According to a U.S. official, initial evidence suggested the attack against the Kokuka Courageous was conducted by Iran with a mine similar to what was used against oil tankers off the UAE last month. The official, who declined to provide additional details or evidence, spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss initial findings that have not been made public.

Like in Fujairah, dozens of ships ranging from massive oil tankers to smaller pleasure boats, traditional dhows and cargo vessels ply the waters of the strait and the Gulf of Oman. The navies of Iran, Oman, the UAE and the U.S. regularly patrol, but the waters are vast and lit only by the moonlight at night, allowing small vessels to approach without warning.

Tensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. The deal saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.

Already, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.

In May, the U.S. rushed an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the region in response to what it said were threats from Iran.

As tensions have risen, so have calls from some members of Congress warning the U.S. administration that they do not have the authority to go to war with Iran under the authorization passed after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

But Pompeo sees it differently, according to U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, and Matt Gaetz, a Republican, who said Thursday they have heard the secretary of state argue in briefings that the administration can authorize war on Iran.

For nearly two decades the 2001 authorization has been stretched to justify combat with Islamist militants in the Middle East and beyond, mostly recently the Obama administration used it during the fight against the Islamic State.

Washington, June 11 (AP/UNB) — The world’s oceans will likely lose about one-sixth of their fish and other marine life by the end of the century if climate change continues on its current path, a new study says.

Every degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) that the world’s oceans warm, the total mass of sea animals is projected to drop by 5%, according to a comprehensive computer-based study by an international team of marine biologists. And that does not include effects of fishing.

If the world’s greenhouse gas emissions stay at the present rate, that means a 17% loss of biomass — the total weight of all the marine animal life — by the year 2100, according to Tuesday’s study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. But if the world reduces carbon pollution, losses can be limited to only about 5%, the study said.

“We will see a large decrease in the biomass of the oceans,” if the world doesn’t slow climate change, said study co-author William Cheung, a marine ecologist at the University of British Columbia. “There are already changes that have been observed.”

While warmer water is the biggest factor, climate change also produces oceans that are more acidic and have less oxygen, which also harms sea life, Cheung said.

Much of the world relies on the oceans for food or livelihood, scientists say.

“The potential ramifications of these predicted losses are huge, not just for ocean biodiversity, but because people around the world rely on ocean resources,” said University of Victoria biology professor Julia Baum, who wasn’t part of the study but says it makes sense. “Climate change has the potential to cause serious new conflicts over ocean resource use and global food security, particularly as human population continues to grow this century.”

The biggest animals in the oceans are going to be hit hardest, said study co-author Derek Tittensor, a marine ecologist at the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center in England.

“The good news here is that the main building blocks of marine life, plankton and bacteria may decline less heavily, the bad news is that those marine animals that we use directly, and care about most deeply, are predicted to suffer the most as climate change is working its way up the food chain,” co-author Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Canada, said in an email.

Tropical areas, already warm, will also see the biggest losses, Cheung said.

Scientists had already thought that climate change will likely reduce future ocean life, but past computer simulations looked at only part of the picture or used only one model. This study uses six different state-of-the-art computer models that give the best big picture look yet, Cheung said.

It is hard to separate past climate change impacts from those of fishing, but past studies have shown places where observed fish loss can be attributed to human-caused climate change, Chung added.

Tittensor pointed to lobsters off Maine and North Atlantic right whales as examples of creatures already being hurt by global warming hitting the ocean.

University of Georgia marine biologist Samantha Joye, who wasn’t part of the research, praised the study as meticulous and said it is also “an urgent call for action.”

“Healthy oceans are required for planetary stability,” Joye said in an email. “Aggressive global action to slow climate change is a moral imperative.”

Syria, June 10 (Xinhua/UNB) -- Syrian army is regaining control over areas that fell to the rebels in an attack which started three days ago, a military source told Xinhua on Sunday.

The Syrian officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remarks from the town of Kafr Houd, which was captured by the army twice within days.

The officer said that the army recaptured Kafr Houd and is moving forward to retake more towns that fell to the rebels since Friday.

"We are in the northern countryside of Hama in the village of Kafr Houd and we are heading to the towns of Tal Balah, Jalameh, and Jubain," he said.

"Our forces are advancing toward Tal Balah and Jubain to restore all areas that have been taken by the rebels over the past three days and the field situation is perfect," he added.

The officer said that the army is also moving to secure the road between the town of Mhardeh and Sqailbiyeh after it got closed as a result of the recent rebels' attack.

The road is strategic for the Syrian army as it constitutes a supply route for the Syrian army units in the area.

"Now, we are working to open the road between the town of Mhardeh and Sqailbiyeh ... and our forces are great and we are moving forward to restore the violated areas," the officer said.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Ibrahim, head of the Kafr Houd town, told Xinhua that people who fled when the town fell to the rebels started returning.

"With the efforts of the Syrian army, people have returned to the town of Kafr Houd and now they are in their homes despite the fact that many of the houses have been damaged as a result of the rebels' mortar shells," he said.

Ibrahim, however, said that fire broke out in farmlands and people couldn't put the fire down "but we thank the Syrian army for capturing the town again."

Earlier in the day, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that battles continued to rage in the central province of Hama on Sunday between the Syrian army and the rebel groups amid progress of the Syrian army.

The battles, which have been raging since late April, continued to flare up in the northern countryside of Hama province between an array of rebel groups and the Syrian army, the observatory said.

The Britain-based watchdog group said that the army managed to capture a town in northern Hama on Sunday with the backing of ground shelling and airstrikes.

This comes as the rebels have unleashed a counter-offensive on Friday on the Syrian sites in northern Hama, killing nine soldiers on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the observatory said that over the past three days of battles, a total of 126 government forces and 102 rebels were killed in three towns.

Areas of the countryside of Hama, Idlib and the Aleppo provinces are included in a de-escalation zones' deal established in September 2018 by Russia and Turkey.

The deal didn't materialize as battles have escalated since late April.

Nur-Sultan, June 10 (Xinhua/UNB) -- Kazakhstan's incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has won the country's presidential election by gaining some 70 percent of the votes, the national exit poll results showed Sunday.

The exit poll conducted by Kazakhstan's Public Opinion Research Institute suggested that Tokayev is taking a lead in the presidential race by garnering 70.13 percent of the votes, followed by Amirzhan Kosanov from the United National Patriotic Movement "Ult tagdyry" with 15.39 percent of the votes.

Meanwhile, according to the exit poll of the LLP Youth Research Institute, 69.94 percent of the voters cast their votes for Tokayev, and 14.96 percent for Kosanov.

In accordance with the constitution of Kazakhstan, the candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the votes shall be considered elected.

Voting for the presidential election in Kazakhstan kicked off at 07:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) and ended at 09:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) earlier in the day.