The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, United Kingdom (U.K.) – Jeremy Hunt has said that Iran is chartering on a dangerous path by illegally detaining the British oil tanker.
On Friday, July 19, 2019, Iran confirmed seizing the British oil tanker, ‘Stena Impero’ at Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the armed forces of Iran, had surrounded the Stena Impero using 4 vessels and a helicopter.
The owners of Stena Impero owners have lost track of the tanker since it got seized. The Government of U.K. has condemned the move and have termed the Iran’s act as unacceptable. It said that the freedom of navigation must not be compromised.
However, Iran said that Stena Impero was violating the international maritime rules and that’s why they seized it. Stena Impero was seized after it collided with a fishing boat and ignored the calls from the smaller craft. On the contrary, Stena Impero’s owner said that the vessel was complying with the international maritime rules when the vessel was seized by IRGC. There were 23 members on the vessels of different nationalities including India, Russia, Latvia and Philippines.
Reacting sharply to the seizure, Jeremy Hunt tweeted, “Yesterday’s action in Gulf shows worrying signs Iran may be choosing a dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behaviour after Gibraltar’s legal detention of oil bound for Syria.”
1/2 Yesterday's action in Gulf shows worrying signs Iran may be choosing a dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behaviour after Gibraltar’s LEGAL detention of oil bound for Syria.
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 20, 2019
He further tweeted, “As I said yesterday our reaction will be considered but robust. We have been trying to find a way to resolve Grace1 issue but WILL ensure the safety of our shipping.”
Jeremy Hunt also clarified that U.K. is not looking at exploring military options. Rather U.K. is mulling diplomatic ways to resolve the issue.
India working to get the trapped Indians released
Out of the 23 trapped crew members, 18 are Indians. The Government of India is speaking to its counterparts in Iran to get the Indian nationals released who were on Stena Impero.
The Spokesperson of the Ministry of external Affair of India – Raveesh Kumar said, “We are ascertaining further details on the incident. Our mission is in touch with the government of Iran to secure the early release and repatriation of Indian nationals.”
Reaction from other nations
France and Germany have condemned the seizure and have asked Iran to release the vessel, in the interest of global peace.
The Spokesperson for France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs said, “Such action is detrimental to the necessary de-escalation of tensions in the Gulf region. We strongly condemn it and express our full solidarity with the United Kingdom.”
In a statement, the German Foreign Office said, “Iran’s action exacerbates an already strained situation. Another regional escalation would be very dangerous. It would also undermine all ongoing efforts to find a way out of the current crisis.”
Tensions between U.K. and Iran
Earlier in the month, 3 armed Iranian vessels had 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 IRGC surrounded them. The IRGC boats ordered the tanker to change their course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters.
At that time, U.K.’s Royal Navy Frigate – HMS Montrose was in the region performing a maritime security role. The HMS Montrose gave a verbal warning to Iranian boats to back off, which they adhered to. Separately, the British Royal Marines had seized an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar in July 2019, which was taking oil to Syria, as it violated the European Union (E.U.) sanctions.
What happened a day before?
The President of United States (U.S.) – Donald Trump confirmed that USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship of U.S. Navy has shot down an Iranian drone on Friday, July 19, 2019, in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian drone was threatening the safety of the ship. The Iranian drone, ignoring multiple warnings, came close to 10 yards of the ship before it was downed using electronic jamming.
What U.S. wants?
Donald Trump has expressed his intentions of speaking to U.K. to de-escalate the issue. Trump said that U.S. wants to promote maritime stability and ensure safe passage in international waters throughout the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Oman.
Why is Strait of Hormuz so important?
The Strait of Hormuz which is 21 miles wide links the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The only way to ship oil from Persian Gulf to other countries is through Strait of Hormuz. In 2018, on an average, 22.5 million barrels of oil a day have passed through the Strait of Hormuz. In the light of recent rising tensions, closing the passage from Strait of Hormuz would mean a massive blow to the world economy.
