Strait of Hormuz incident: Jeremy Hunt 'extremely concerned' over Iranian seizure of two oil tankers in Gulf

UK-registered Stena Impero was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz Second seized oil tanker, the Liberia-flagged Mesdar, was later allowed to continue voyage Incident follows on from recent heightened tensions in the Gulf involving Iran, the US and UK

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he is "extremely concerned" after two oil tankers were seized by Iranian authorities in the Persian Gulf.

The Stena Impero, which is registered in the UK, was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz for "violating international maritime rules", according to Iran media.

A second tanker, the Liberia-flagged Mesdar, which is owned and operated by Glasgow-based firm Norbulk, also made a sharp change of direction in the Gulf around the same time.

The operator later said that communication had been re-established with the Mesdar after armed guards boarded the ship and that the vessel was "free to continue its voyage".

Screengrab taken from www.marinetraffic.com showing the route taken by the British oil tanker Stena Impero which is believed to have been captured in Iranian waters whilst en route to Saudi Arabia.
PA

Stena Bulk, the company which owns the Stena Impero, said the firm had not been in contact with the crew since 4pm, when the vessel was approached by "unidentified small crafts and a helicopter".

Mr Hunt said: "I'm extremely concerned by the seizure of two vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

"I will shortly attend a COBR 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."

Mr Hunt said that the crew members comprised of a range of nationalities but no British citizens are on board either ship.

The British oil tanker Stena Impero at unknown location, which is believed to have been captured by Iran.
AP

"Our ambassador in Tehran is in contact with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve the situation and we are working closely with international partners," he added.

"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."

US President Donald Trump said America would be "working with the UK".

He told reporters: "We will talk to the UK and we have no written agreement but we have an agreement. They've been a very great ally of ours.

"So we heard about it, we heard it was one, we heard it was two, and we will be working with the UK."

Stena Bulk, the company which owns the Stena Impero, said it had been unable to contact the vessel, which it says was shown heading north towards Iran.

Screengrab taken from www.marinetraffic.com showing the route taken by the Liberia-flagged Mesdar oil tanker, which is owned and operated by Glasgow-based firm Norbulk.
PA

The statement said: "We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran.

“There are 23 seafarers aboard. There have been no reported injuries and their safety is of primary concern to both owners and managers.

“The priority of both vessel owner Stena Bulk and ship manager Northern Marine Management is the safety and welfare of the crew.

Traditional Omani boats known as dhows, and cargo ships are seen sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz.
REUTERS

“We are in close contact with UK government authorities.”

According to the Marine Traffic website, the 183m long ship left the United Arab Emirates on Friday and was bound for the port of Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia.

The company said the tanker was in international waters at the time but now appeared to be heading north towards Iran.

Iran's state news agency IRNA later quoted a military source as saying that the tanker had turned off its tracker and ignored warnings from the Revolutionary Guards.

A British Royal Navy patrol vessel guards the oil supertanker Grace 1, which has been suspected of carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria
Jon Nazca/Reuters

They said: "The tanker had turned off its tracker and ignored several warnings by the Guards before being captured."

The same source told IRNA that the tanker's violations also included sailing in the wrong direction in a shipping lane and ignoring directives.

The incident follows on from recent heightened tensions in the Gulf involving Iran, the US and UK.

Last week, the Royal Navy warship frigate HMS Montrose drove off three Iranian vessels which tried to stop the commercial ship British Heritage as it sailed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt offered to help release Grace 1 if Iran guaranteed it would not breach sanctions.
Getty Images

Fears were raised that the Iranian authorities were trying to seize a UK ship in retaliation for the detention of the Grace 1 tanker.

The Iranian ship was detained off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4 after it was suspected of violating EU sanctions by carrying a cargo of crude oil destined for Syria.

The ship's captain, chief officer and two second officers were arrested and bailed and an investigation is ongoing.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the tanker's seizure an act of "piracy" on Tuesday and warned the UK to expect a response.

Mr Hunt offered to help release Grace 1 if Iran guaranteed it would not breach sanctions imposed on Bashar Assad's regime.

The president also answered questions about a British oil tanker captured by Iranians in the Strait of Hormuz.
EPA

Sir Richard Dalton, former British ambassador to Iran, suggested the owners of the Stena Impero had been "rash" in sailing the tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to Sky News, Sir Richard said: "With hindsight, it's easy to say that this was a somewhat reckless act by the owners, given that there was no British naval vessel in the vicinity."

He said the Iranians had "lost their cool" despite recent "constructive discussions" over the Grace 1.

Sir Richard added: "I don't think the Iranians will continue to try to seize British vessels given they have got what they want, which is something to hold in a negotiation with Britain about their cargo held, they consider illegally, in Gibraltar."

Donald Trump also said he would talk to Britain about the incident.
Getty Images

The latest incident follows claims by the US that one of its warships destroyed an Iranian drone that came with "threatening distance" in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

It marked a new escalation between the US and Iran less than one month after Iran downed an American drone and Donald Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.

An MoD spokesman said: "We are urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf."

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson tweeted that it was a matter of "real concern".

"We know that some days ago there was an attempt to steer a British tanker towards Iranian waters. Our ships have the right of safe passage and the Stena Impero must be allowed to continue its voyage unimpeded.

"Any move to seize a British tanker would be a significant and harmful escalation of a situation where de-escalation is needed."

Prime Minister Theresa May's office declined to comment.

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