The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps has unveiled more details of capturing a British oil tanker at the Strait of Hormuz, saying even a Royal Navy’s frigate escorting the tanker failed to prevent the Iranian commandos from carrying the mission.
British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has discussed the issue of the seized oil tanker belonging to the UK with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif who is in Venezuelan capital Caracas.
Iran says the British-flagged Stena Impero oil tanker seized by IRGC forces in the Strait of Hormuz had collided with an Iranian fishing vessel but did not respond to the calls and warnings and had switched off its GPS locators.
Informed military sources in the Persian Gulf have rejected media reports that the IRGC has seized a second Liberian-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.
The three European powers – France, Britain, and Germany – have reaffirmed their commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran on the fourth anniversary of clinching the deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has made it clear for his UK counterpart that Tehran will keep on exporting oil under any conditions, urging London to secure the release of Iran’s oil tanker as soon as possible.
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the release of an Iranian supertanker that his country has captured near Gibraltar would be conditional on a guarantee that the vessel will not go to Syria.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri has warned that the Islamic Republic will respond to the UK's seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar in due time.
A former prime minister of Sweden has questioned the legality of seizure of an Iranian oil tanker by the UK, stressing that the non-EU states are not subject to the European sanctions.
Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has lashed out at the United Kingdom for illegally seizing an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar, saying the country will not tolerate London’s “maritime piracy”.
Reports say Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah of Iran, will soon receive a paycheck to appear in a show that will be produced by Saudi-backed satellite TV channel “Iran International”.
Seizing the oil tanker Grace 1 is a new event that has heated up the tension between Iran and the United States, but it can also be related to the current disagreements between United Kingdom and the European Union.
Iran says the supertanker carrying its oil sailing in international waters in the Strait of Gibraltar was not bound for Syria, and the UK was not allowed to seize it.
A senior Iranian official has called for the seizure of a British oil tanker in case London refuses to release the Iranian vessel it has illegally detained in Gibraltar.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says the Europeans' failure to fulfil their commitments under the Iran nuclear deal has left Iran no choice but to stop honouring its obligations.
Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has reminded the US government of the futility of gunboat diplomacy, saying Tehran will press ahead with uranium enrichment plans.
Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, says the "hasty decisions" taken by the UK do not serve the goal of "de-escalation" it claims is pursuing.
The UK government has reached an agreement with Bank Mellat to settle a $1.6-billion damages claim brought by the Iranian bank after 10 years of negotiations.
Iran's Foreign Ministry has summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran Rob Macaire to express Tehran's strong protest at London's "unacceptable" accusations against Iran over the recent tanker attacks in the Sea of Oman.
