Britain mulls sanctions in response to Iran tanker seizure
Britain's Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt says UK desires to de-escalate but adds Iran seized Stena Impero oil tanker in Omani waters "in clear contravention of international law."
British ministers are making plans aimed at targeting Iran with sanctions in the aftermath of the Iranian seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf, the DailyTelegraph newspaper reported, reports TRT World.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce on Sunday diplomatic and economic measures, including potential asset freezes, as a response to the incident, according to the report.
Britain says Iran seized its tanker in Omani waters
London wants to de-escalate tensions with Tehran, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Saturday following a meeting of the UK's emergencies committee over Iran's seizure of a British-flagged ship in the Gulf.
The meeting "reaffirmed UK desire to de-escalate," Hunt said, adding that the Stena Impero oil tanker was seized in Omani waters "in clear contravention of international law" in "utterly unacceptable" circumstances.
The seizure came hours after a court in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar said it would extend by 30 days the detention of Grace 1, an Iranian tanker seized two weeks ago in an operation aided by British Royal Marines on allegations of breaching EU sanctions against Syria.
Hunt said that having spoken to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran saw the situation as a "tit for tat."
Iran may be on 'dangerous path' after seizing tanker
British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said on Saturday that he was worried that Iran had taken a "dangerous path" after it seized a British-flagged tanker on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Fars news agency reported that the Stena Impero had been taken to the port of Bander Abbas, which faces the strait, after it said the tanker had been involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing vessel.
The Foreign Office in London also summoned Iran's charge d'affaires on Saturday, the ministry said.
British-flagged tanker was in accident with fishing boat - Iran
The British-flagged tanker Stena Impero was in an accident with a fishing boat before being detained on Friday, Iran's Fars news agency reported on Saturday, quoting an official.
Iran says all 23 crew seized on the tanker are now at Bandar Abbas port and will remain on the vessel until the end of an investigation, according to Fars.
"It got involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing boat... When the boat sent a distress call, the British-flagged ship ignored it," said the head of Ports and Maritime Organisation in southern Hormozgan province, Allahmorad Afifipour.
"The tanker is now at Iran's Bandar Abbas port and all of its 23 crew members will remain on the ship until the probe is over."
Britain said earlier it was urgently seeking information about the Stena Impero, which had been heading to a port in Saudi Arabia and suddenly changed course after passing through the strait at the mouth of the Gulf.
Germany, France call on Iran to release tanker
Germany and France on Saturday called on Iran to immediately release the British oil tanker, in statements issued by their foreign ministries.
The capture of the Swedish-owned, British-flagged Stena Impero was a "dangerous further aggravation of an already tense situation," the German statement said.
UK warns British ships to avoid Hormuz Strait
London Saturday advised British ships to avoid the Strait of Hormuz for "an interim period" following Iran's seizure of the British-flagged tanker.
"We remain deeply concerned about Iran's unacceptable actions which represent a clear challenge to international freedom of navigation," a government spokeswoman said following an overnight meeting of the government's COBRA emergencies committee.
"We have advised UK shipping to stay out of the area for an interim period."
Second ship seized by Iran – UK
Britain said Iran's seizure of a British-flagged vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was unacceptable and called for freedom of navigation in the Gulf.
"I'm extremely concerned by the seizure of two naval vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz," Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
"I will shortly attend a COBR (national security) meeting to review what we know and what we can do to swiftly secure the release of the two vessels - a British-flagged vessel and a Liberian-flagged vessel," he said.
"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.
Pompeo says Iran needs to 'come to the table'
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States needed Iran to "come to the table" for negotiations, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Gulf that have impacted global oil markets.
Pompeo, speaking at a counterterrorism summit in Buenos Aires, also repeated an offer from US President Donald Trump for talks without preconditions.
"The Iranians continue to say they will talk about it, but only if the United States does something.
We need them to come to the table, it's the right way to resolve these challenges," Pompeo told reporters.
Iran has not lost any drones – deputy foreign minister
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied on Friday that Iran had lost a drone in the Strait of Hormuz after the United States said that a US Navy ship had "destroyed" an Iranian drone.
"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS [Unmanned Aerial System] by mistake!," Araqchi said on Twitter, referring to a US warship in the strategic waterway.
