Britain repeated its demand on Monday for Iran to release a U.K.-flagged tanker seized in the Gulf, as Prime Minister Theresa May’s government held crisis talks on how to respond.
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the Stena Impero on Friday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The move came two weeks after British authorities seized an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on suspicion of breaching sanctions against Syria, and against a backdrop of brinkmanship between Washington and Tehran.
“The ship was seized under false and illegal pretences and the Iranians should release it and its crew immediately,” Ms. May’s spokesman said as she chaired an emergency meeting with Ministers and officials.
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“We do not seek confrontation with Iran but it is unacceptable and highly escalatory to seize a ship going about legitimate business through internationally recognised shipping lanes.”
Legal measure
Iran impounded the tanker after claiming it failed to respond to distress calls and turned off its transponder after hitting a fishing boat.
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“Seizing the British tanker was a legal measure by Iran,” a spokesman for the Iranian government, Ali Rabiei, told a news conference in Tehran on Monday.
However, Britain has said there was no evidence of a collision and said the vessel was in Omani waters, with its transponder switched on.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is expected to update Parliament on the situation after the crisis talks, spoke to his French and German counterparts on Sunday.
The European Union has already expressed its “deep concern” at the move, and on Monday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: “We don’t want any further escalation.”