Bolton, without offering evidence, says Iran 'almost certainly' responsible for oil tanker attack in UAE

"I think it is clear these (attacks) were naval mines almost certainly from Iran," Bolton told reporters during a visit to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Iran later rejected Bolton's claim as "ridiculous" that it was responsible for the May 12 attack on the four oil vessels near the Emirati port of Fujairah.

Bolton also said Wednesday that the additional 1,500 US troops sent to the Middle East region are to "act as a deterrent" against Iranian threats. The Trump administration has also sent a carrier and bomber task force to the Persian Gulf.

"The point is to make it very clear to Iran and its surrogates that these kinds of actions risk a very strong response from the United States," he said.

Of the four commercial ships targeted in the May 12 attack, one was flying a UAE flag, two were tankers owned by Saudi Arabia, and the fourth was a Norwegian tanker. The UAE, which described the attack as a "sabotage," did not elaborate on how the ships were damaged or who might be responsible. Iran denounced the attack and denied involvement.

The Pentagon recently said intelligence reporting showed that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for the attack on the oil tankers -- but did not provide any evidence of Iran's role in the attack.

"I can't reveal the sources of that reporting except to say with very high confidence we tie the Iranians to those," Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, director of the Joint Staff, told reporters on Friday.

Iran dismissed the accusation from the United States on Wednesday that it was responsible for the May 12 attack, and blamed Bolton, the Saudi Crown Prince and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince for "dragging" President Donald Trump "into war with Iran," according to state-run media.

Bolton had previously advocated for regime change in Iran before he joined the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump said Monday that he's not looking for regime change in Tehran, but merely wants to avoid Iran developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.

CNN's Nada AlTaher, Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

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