British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned Friday there would be “serious consequences” if Iran did not swiftly release a UK-flagged oil tanker it detained in the Strait of Hormuz, the Stena Impero.
Hunt earlier said Iran had seized two vessels, one of which was the Liberian-flagged Mesdar. The British owner of Mesdar said the ship had been temporarily boarded by armed personnel, but later allowed to leave.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards acknowledged detaining the British tanker, saying it broke “international maritime rules” in the highly sensitive waterway.
“This is completely unacceptable,” Hunt said. “Freedom of navigation must be maintained. We will respond in a way that is considered but robust and we are absolutely clear that if this situation is not resolved quickly there will be serious consequences.”
He said Britain was not considering military options and was hoping to secure the tanker’s release through diplomatic means.
“But we are very clear that it must be resolved,” he said, adding that he spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the incident and would soon speak with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif.
The seizing of the British tanker marked perhaps the most significant escalation since tensions between Iran and the West began rising in May. At that time, the US announced it was dispatching an aircraft carrier and additional troops to the Middle East, citing unspecified threats posed by Iran.
The ongoing showdown has caused jitters around the globe, with each maneuver bringing fear that any misunderstanding or misstep by either side could lead to war.
Details of what took place Friday remained sketchy after Iran reported that it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The straight at the mouth of the Persian Gulf is a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports.
The Stena Impero was taken to an Iranian port because it was not complying with “international maritime laws and regulations,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared. READ MORE
