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| Britain says seizures of UK vessels by Iran are ‘unacceptable’ | Britain says seizures of UK vessels by Iran are ‘unacceptable’ |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has confirmed the seizure of two vessels by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. He also said London is seeking to secure their release and called for the freedom of navigation in the strait. | |
| "I'm extremely concerned by the seizure of two naval vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz," Hunt told journalists, adding that he would soon attend the emergency cabinet meeting aimed at looking for ways to “swiftly secure the release of the two vessels.” | |
| "These seizures are unacceptable. It is essential that freedom of navigation is maintained and that all ships can move safely and freely in the region." | |
| Hunt said that there are no British citizens among the crew members of either ship. He also added that the British ambassador in Tehran has already contacted the Iranian Foreign Ministry in an attempt to resolve the situation while the UK also approached other “international partners.” | |
| Earlier on Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Iran’s elite military force – said it has seized the British oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz over failure to “respect the international maritime rules.” The vessel sailing to Saudi Arabia was seen changing its course and heading north towards the Iranian island of Qeshm, marine tracking data showed. | |
| The company owning the vessel, Stena Bulk, said it lost contact with the ship and that it was approached by “unidentified” small vessels before changing course. | |
| Later the same day, another tanker owned by a British company – the Liberian-flagged ship Mesdar – also suddenly changed its course to Saudi Arabia and sailed to the Iranian mainland. This time, Tehran has not officially confirmed its seizure. | |
| Tehran and London have been locked in a bitter row ever since a super tanker Grace 1 carrying Iranian crude oil was seized by the British marines in the Strait of Gibraltar on suspicion of violating the EU sanctions against Syria. | |
| Tehran denied these accusations while calling the Gibraltar's justification of detention laughable. Iran also accused the UK of acting on behalf of the US. | |
| Washington has long sought to pressure Tehran into concessions on its nuclear and missile programs while repeatedly vowing to bring its oil exports down to zero with sanctions. It has also recently sent a naval group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to rehearse a possible strike against Iran while calling to form a “coalition” ostensively to defend the freedom of navigation. | |
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