The United Kingdom (U.K.) Government has said 3 armed Iranian vessels have unsuccessfully tried to seize a British oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Sailing out of the Persian Gulf, the British Heritage Tanker was crossing the Strait of Hormuz when the boats of the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) surrounded them. The IRGC boats ordered the tanker to change their course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters.
The U.K.’s Royal Navy Frigate – HMS Montrose was in the region performing a maritime security role, when British Heritage Tanker got surrounded by the Iranian boats. The HMS Montrose gave a verbal warning to Iranian boats to back off, which they adhered to.
The HMS Montrose is the 8th of the 16 ship Type 23 or Duke class of frigates, of the Royal Navy, named after the Duke of Montrose. It is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats.
A statement from the U.K.’s Ministry of defence read, “Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.”
It further read, “HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away. We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.”
Terming the accusations as baseless, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran – Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “Apparently the British tanker has passed. What they have said themselves and the claims that have been made are for creating tension and these claims have no value.”
Speaking on the occasion, IRGC said, “There has been no confrontation in the last 24 hours with any foreign vessels, including British ones.”
For the records, last week, the British Royal Marines had seized an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar which was taking oil to Syria, violating the European Union (E.U.) sanctions. The British Government said the Iranian tanker was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil to Syria. Europe had banned all oil shipments to Syria since 2011. However, Iran denied that the tanker was bound for Syria. It raised objections and termed the detention of the tanker as illegal. It also summoned the British ambassador to express their displeasure over the entire issue.
In addition, the President of Iran – Hassan Rouhani warned the U.K. of repercussions for seizing an Iranian oil tanker.
