[custom_adv] An attack on two oil tankers near the entrance to the Persian Gulf was likely done by a state actor, according to a U.S. official, heightening tensions over a potential military confrontation between the U.S. and Oil prices surged. [custom_adv] The incidents on Thursday, including an assault on a Japanese-operated vessel, were the second in a month to hit ships near the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, through which about 40% of the world’s seaborne oil travels. [custom_adv] They come as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a rare ally of both Donald Trump and leaders, visits in an effort to ease tensions. [custom_adv] A U.S. official said the government is confident it knows which country is responsible but declined to give more details. U.S. and Saudi officials have suggested they think was behind a previous attack last month on ships in the region. [custom_adv] “Even in the absence of ironclad evidence, the U.S. and its allies will point the finger,” said Fawaz A. Gerges, professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics.