UK asks its tanker | Iran has ignored the …

London has urged Iran to reduce tensions in the Gulf by releasing a British-flagged ship allegedly illegally confiscated in Omani waters, which he said was totally unacceptable. The British flagged tanker "Stena Impero", with 23 crew members, was captured by the Iranian army yesterday afternoon in the Strait of Hormuz, located in the Persian Gulf and in Oman .

However, Iran ignored this call and similar calls from the United States and its allies. The Guardians of the Revolution, the name given to the Iranian army, said it approached Friday the "Stena Impero" for "not to respect the international maritime code" in this stage by which circulates a third of the world oil. The ship was transferred to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to the port authorities of Hormozgan province. This is the second seizure of a ship in a few days by Iran.

"The" Stena Impero "collided with a fishing boat, the people on board contacted the tanker but did not get an answer and then informed the port authority," said the director. General of the port and maritime authorities of the Iranian province of Hormozgan, Allah Morad Afifipoor. "According to the law, after an accident it is necessary to investigate the causes and it is for this reason that l & rsquo; Port authority opened an investigation Saturday, "added the official. The 23 crew members remain on board. Eighteen, including the captain, are of Indian nationality and the others are Filipino, Latvian and Russian.

British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt today said he had spoken to his Iranian colleague, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to express his disappointment at the situation and to let him know that British flag vessels will be protected. He also summoned Iran's director of business in London, Mohsen Omidzamani, as part of diplomatic efforts by the United Kingdom to defend their interests.

In turn, the British government has organized a meeting of the emergency committee called Cobra, composed of various ministers, to review the situation in Hormuz, following other similar incidents in recent weeks with ships flying the flag of other countries.

"The tanker's capture raises serious questions about the safety of international shipping in Ormuz," said the head of the Foreign Office, adding that "the ship had been withheld in Oman's waters in flagrant violation of international law "

The seizure of the British tanker took place a few hours after the British Gibraltar Enclave Justice decided to extend the detention of an Iranian tanker, intercepted on July 4, by 30 days. The British claim that the vessel was carrying crude to Syria, in violation of the sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against that country.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that what happened was a testimony to what he said about Iran: "Problems, nothing but problems," he said. declared. France and Germany have called on Iran to immediately release the British tanker. For its part, the European Union regretted that "in this already tense situation, this new risk of aggravating the escalation and undermine the work of solving the crisis".

A few weeks ago, Washington reinforced its military presence in the Gulf, accusing Iran of being behind acts of sabotage against four oil tankers near the Strait of Ormuz in May and two attacks on the mid-June against two tankers in the Gulf. d & # 39; Oman.

The conflict between the two countries began to emerge forcefully in 2018, when Trump withdrew from the international agreement on control of the Iranian nuclear program, deeming it too benevolent with the Asian country, and came back impose sanctions.

In the midst of these fears of conflict, Saudi Arabia, a US ally and Iran's main regional rival, announced that for the first time since 2003, US forces would take up positions on their territory.