TEHRAN, July 20, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday
they had seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking
“international maritime rules” as tensions mount in the highly sensitive
waterway.
Britain however said Iran had seized two ships in the Gulf, with Foreign
Secretary Jeremy Hunt warning of “serious consequences” if the issue was not
resolved quickly.
The British owner of one of the tankers, the Liberian-flagged Mesdar, said
the ship had been temporarily boarded by armed personnel, but was now free to
leave.
The latest incident came as President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the
US military had downed an Iranian drone that was threatening an American
naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, despite denials from Tehran.
The Stena Impero tanker “was confiscated… for failing to respect
international maritime rules,” the Guards’ official website Sepahnews said.
The tanker “was led to the shore and handed over to the organisation to go
through the legal procedure and required investigations,” it said.
Tanker tracking service Marine Traffic showed that the Swedish-owned Stena
Impero last signalled its location near the Island of Larak in the highly
sensitive waterway at 9:00 PM local time (1630 GMT).
The ship was transiting the Strait of Hormuz and in “international waters”
when it was “attacked by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter,” the
owner said.
“We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now tracking as
heading north towards Iran,” a statement said.
Hunt said he was “extremely concerned” by the seizure of two vessels in the
Strait — through which nearly a third of the world’s oil is transported.
“We are absolutely clear that if this situation is not resolved quickly
there will be serious consequences,” he told Sky News ahead of an emergency
ministerial COBRA meeting.
Britain confirmed that one of the boats seized was British-registered.
Norbulk Shipping, the owner of the other vessel said it was now free to
continue its voyage with all crew “safe and well”.
The company said the Mesdar was boarded by armed personnel at around 1630
GMT, but they had left by 2000 GMT.
Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that senior military officials rejected
reports that the Liberian-flagged tanker has been seized, stressing that the
Stena Impero was the only foreign ship under Iranian custody.
The incident came hours after Gibraltar’s Supreme Court said it would
extend by 30 days the detention of an Iranian tanker seized two weeks ago on
allegations that it was heading to Syria in violation of sanctions.
– US says downed drone –
Tensions in the Gulf have soared in recent weeks, with Trump calling off
air strikes against Iran at the last minute in June after Tehran downed an
American drone, and blaming Iran for a series of tanker attacks — charges
the Islamic Republic denies.
Hours before the latest incident, Iran and the US were caught in a new war
of words.
Trump on Friday reiterated a claim that Washington brought down an Iranian
drone that was threatening an American vessel, the USS Boxer in the Strait of
Hormuz.
Iran categorically denied the allegation and deputy foreign minister Abbas
Araghchi tweeted that American forces may have shot down a US drone by
mistake.
Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton said there was “no question
that this was an Iranian drone”.
The Revolutionary Guards released a video Friday which they said belies the
US claims.
The seven-minute-long footage, apparently shot from high altitude, shows a
convoy of ships which the Guards said they were tracking as they passed
through the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessels in the footage could not be immediately identified, although
one looks similar to the USS Boxer.
Earlier a US official said Washington has “very clear evidence” that it
downed the drone but gave no further details.
“If you fly too close to our ships, you’re going to get shot down,” the
official said.
As tensions soar, Tehran’s arch rival Saudi Arabia announced Friday that it
would once again host US troops on its soil to boost regional security, its
defence ministry said.
– Nuclear standoff –
The latest escalation comes more than a year after Washington unliterally
withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and began ratcheting up
sanctions against Tehran.
On Friday Trump spoke with French leader Emmanuel Macron, the White House
said, with the leaders discussing “ongoing efforts to ensure Iran does not
obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Earlier this month, Iran purposely overshot the deal’s caps on uranium
enrichment, aiming to pressure the remaining parties to make good on their
promises to help prop up its economy.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if it is
attacked.