Tehran, July 12: Iran has requested the prompt arrival of an oil tanker seized by Royal Marines off the bank of Gibraltar, cautioning Britain: “This is a dangerous game and has consequences.”
It comes as strains mount in the Gulf after a Royal Navy warship prevented Iranian watch pontoons endeavoring to hinder a British tanker cruising through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian supertanker – the Grace 1 – was held onto a week ago after it was associated with taking raw petroleum to Syria in rupture of EU sanctions.
Calling for the immediate release of Grace 1, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson told the state-run IRNA news agency: “This is a dangerous game and has consequences.”
The spokesperson added, “The legal pretexts for the capture are not valid… the release of the tanker is in all countries’ interest, according to Sky News reports.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom (UK) government said three Iranian ships attempted to block a British-owned oil tanker which was passing through the Hormuz strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard precluded claims from claiming a showdown, saying on the off chance that it had gotten requests to hold onto any boats it would have executed them right away.
Sky News comprehends British boats have been cautioned to keep alert for Iranian watch pontoons “being forceful towards them”.
Nearly 15 to 30 British-hailed tankers and other huge boats are in the Persian Gulf consistently. Somewhere in the range of one and three go through the Strait of Hormuz like clockwork.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he will add more warships to Britain’s armada in the event that he wins the Tory administration race and ends up executive.
He has pledged to build protection spending from 2% of GDP to 2.5%, an expense of around £12bn more a year in 2023, and more streams for the naval force’s new plane carrying warships could be incorporated.
“When you look at this week’s events it shows that in recent decades we have run down the navy too much,” he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
Police in Gibraltar has captured the commander of the Grace 1 and the chief officer of the ship.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has recently cautioned the UK of outcomes after the seizing of its tanker.
Also Read:
- Iran condemns UK ‘illegal’ seizure of Syria-bound oil tanker in Gibraltar; demands immediate release
- Iran’ IRGC failed to seize British Heritage oil tanker in Gulf waters