Does anyone believe Iran when they say that there’s no proof that it was their mines that set oil tankers on fire in the Strait of Hormuz.

Looks like everyone not named Ben Rhodes is on board with believing that Iran is culpable for this one, even as Iran’s defense minister claims that the attacks were a set-up to frame them.

Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami dismissed allegations about his country’s involvement in last week’s attack on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as an unfair accusation meant to tarnish Iran’s image.”

The semi-official Fars news agency on Wednesday quoted the minister as saying that “the accusation against Iran is totally a lie and I dismiss it firmly.”

Hatami extolled Iranian military, saying it has “played a significant role in the establishment of security in the region and in international waterways.”

He responded to questions about footage released by the U.S. purporting to show Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the stricken tankers, saying “the date and the location shown in the footage have not been authenticated.”

The minister also added that Iranian vessels carried out a rescue operation when they arrived at the location of the tankers. He says the Americans “can show any footage … but it cannot be used as evidence.”

In a stunning moment of bipartisanship, both left and right are united in pointing a finger at Iran. First, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo said that Washington does not want to go into an armed conflict with Tehran, but hoped that the threats of force will be enough to draw Iranian leaders to the negotiating table.”

“These were attacks by The Islamic Republic of Iran on commercial shipping, on the freedom of navigation, with a clear intent to deny transit through the strait,” Pompeo said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “There’s no doubt. The intelligence community has lots of data, lots of evidence — the world will come to see much of it.”

Pompeo added: “We don’t want war. We’ve done what we can to deter this. The Iranians should understand very clearly that we will continue to take actions that deter Iran from engaging in this kind of behavior.”

Second, Congressman Adam Schiff. Yes, Adam Schiff.

Now, you would think that with this kind of unity, people would universally agree that Iran should be held accountable. Not so fast, says Ilhan Omar. This is all Trump’s fault for abandoning the Iran Deal, she claims.

None of this would be happening if Trump didn't back out of the Iran nuclear deal.

America’s response should be to return to the table and reinstate the Iran nuclear deal.

Increasing tensions and threats of war serve nobody's interests. https://t.co/KGSKGXATPE

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) June 17, 2019

Raise your hand if you are surprised that Ilhan Omar sided with Iran. (Someone glue Ben Rhodes to a chair before he gives her a standing ovation.)

While some are very hawkish on how to deal with Iran after this (Senator Tom Cotton among them), President Trump is not keen on starting a rumble with Iran at the moment. Those who are claiming that the president is “agitating” for war are simply not listening to what he is saying.

Exclusive: President Trump calls alleged Iranian attack on oil tankers "very minor" https://t.co/rWGxRy2Agi

— TIME (@TIME) June 18, 2019

Facing twin challenges in the Persian Gulf, President Donald Trump said in an interview with TIME Monday that he might take military action to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but cast doubt on going to war to protect international oil supplies.”

“I would certainly go over nuclear weapons,” the president said when asked what moves would lead him to consider going to war with Iran, “and I would keep the other a question mark.”

That doesn’t sound like someone just itching for a war. Iran would most certainly lose a head-on war with the United States, but they would make it hurt. Iran may be looking to provoke the United States into a response – the sanctions have hurt Iran, and getting the U.S. to go on the offensive would unify the Iranian people with their government, instead of the Iranian people blaming their government for the sanctions. Israel is already warning Iran to not get any ideas about dragging them into this – it would not be pretty.

Does Iran really think that if they protest loudly enough that it wasn’t them who mined the oil tankers, Ben Rhodes and Russia will convince the intelligence community that they are innocent? Not if Mike Pompeo and Adam Schiff are standing on the same side of an issue and partisanship is taking a backseat. The American public really doesn’t need any more proof than that.

Featured image via Pixabay, Pixabay license, cropped