This undated photo issued July 19, 2019 shows the British oil tanker Stena Impero, which is believed to have been captured by Iran. (Stena Bulk via AP)

7-20-19

Dramatic audio of radio exchanges between a British warship and an Iranian armed forces vessel revealed the moments before a British-flagged oil tanker was seized in the Gulf. In the audio, the Iranian vessel can he heard instructing the tanker, the Stena Impero, to change direction: : “If you obey, you will be safe. Alter course to 360 degrees immediately, over.” The frigate then asks the Iranian vessel to confirm it is not “intending to violate international law” by attempting to board the tanker, in the recording obtained by security firm Dryad Global. The Iranian vessel then tells the Royal Navy frigate that its intention is to inspect the Stena Impero, for “security reasons”. —

Dramatic footage shows balaclava-clad Iranian commandos hijacking a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Video released today captures the moment Tehran troops abseil onto the stricken ship with 23 crew on board last night. —

Iran official calls tanker seizure ‘reciprocal’; FM: Vessel broke maritime rules

Tehran appears to speak in two voices while explaining confiscation of British-flagged ship, as furious European powers urge the country to reverse its ‘dangerous’ course

A powerful council in Iran said Saturday the country’s seizure of a British oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz was in response to Britain’s role in impounding an Iranian supertanker two weeks earlier. At the same time, the country’s foreign minister insisted Iran was simply maintaining maritime law.

The spokesman of Iran’s Guardian Council, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, was quoted in the semi-official Fars news agency saying “the rule of reciprocal action is well-known in international law” and that Iran’s moves to “confront the illegitimate economic war and seizure of oil tankers is an instance of this rule and is based on international rights.”

The council rarely comments on state matters, but when it does it is seen as a reflection of the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s views. The council works closely with Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.

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Radio exchanges reveal Iran-UK confrontation before oil tanker was seized

Iran guards post video of troops rappelling onto the British oil tanker Stena Impero

Iran seizes British oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Al Jazeera

Iran troops rappel onto seized British-flagged oil tanker

The Guradian   Video released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shows speedboats pulling up alongside the seized British-flagged oil tanker. Troops wearing ski masks and carrying machine guns rappelled onto the Stena Impero’s deck from a helicopter. The ship, with its 23-strong crew, has been taken to Bandar Abbas, one of the country’s main military ports

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its forces have captured a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for allegedly violating international laws, amid rising tensions in the Gulf. The Stena Impero tanker “was confiscated by the Revolutionary Guards at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organisation when passing through the Strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules”, the IRGC’s official website Sepahnews announced. The tanker “was led to the shore and handed over to the organisation to go through the legal procedure and required investigations”, it said. The vessel was seized by “small crafts and a helicopter” at 7:30pm local time (15:00GMT), the owner of the vessel, Stena Bulk, and Northern Marine Management said, adding that they are “presently unable to contact the vessel”. Tanker tracking service Marine Traffic showed that the UK-flagged, Swedish-owned Stena Impero last signalled its location near the Island of Larak in the highly sensitive waterway at 9pm local time (16:30 GMT). There are 23 crew members on board, the company’s statement added. “We are urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence said.

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