A British oil tanker was captured by the forces of International Revolutionart Guard Cops (IRGC) for allegedly violating international laws, amid rising tensions in the Gulf , as reported by Aljazeera.
The Stena Impero tanker “was confiscated by the Revolutionary Guards at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organisation when passing through the Strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules,” the IRGC’s official website Sepahnews announced.
The tanker “was led to the shore and handed over to the organisation to go through the legal procedure and required investigations”, it said.
The vessel was seized by “small crafts and a helicopter” at 7:30pm local time (15:00GMT), the owner of the vessel, Stena Bulk, and Northern Marine Management said, adding that they are “presently unable to contact the vessel therehere will be “serious consequences” if Iran does not release a British-flagged tanker seized in the Gulf, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.
There will be “serious consequences” if Iran does not release a British-flagged tanker seized in the Gulf, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said.
“We are urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.
On July 19, the United States military had said that they shot down an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of one of its naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said, “We have no information about losing a drone”.
Recently, after Iran downed a US unmanned drone, the country’s parliamentary speaker had warned the United States against violating the country’s borders cautioning such a move would draw a “stronger” reaction.
