Seizure of an Iranian tanker: the owner establishes his first contact with the crew

The crew of a British flagged tanker that was seized in the Gulf is "safe," said the shipowner after speaking with them for the first time.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard seized the British-flagged British prisoner Stena Impero and its 23 crew members.

The owner, Stena Bulk, met on Tuesday with the ship's captain, who said they were safe and that the cooperation with the Iranians on board was satisfactory.

The seizure of the ship took place amid growing tensions between Iran and the United Kingdom.

Iran said it had stopped Stena Impero on July 19 because of its collision with a fishing boat, but Stena Bulk said he had not received any collision proof.

The company said the crew members – Indians, Russians, Latvians and Filipinos – were kept abad of the latest developments and were fully supported.

Its director, Erik Hanell, said he hoped the telephone contact would be "a first sign that we will soon see more positive progress from the Iranian authorities."

A spokesman for Stena Bulk said the next step would be to try to have the crew checked by a crew, but there was no delay in repatriating the crew.

A report from the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim says the UK has sent a mediator to the country to discuss the oil tanker's release.

However, a senior Foreign Office official told the BBC that she did not know that representatives had been sent, adding that diplomatic relations were being maintained through the ambbadador and the ambbadador. Embbady of the United Kingdom in Tehran.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt called on Iran to release the tanker and its crew, calling its seizure "state piracy".

On the same day, the Iranian media published images showing cooks preparing meals and crew members being briefed by an Iranian official.

At the same time, Iranian President Hbadan Rouhani congratulated the Iranian Revolutionary Guards for the seizure in the Strait of Ormuz, saying that they were "brave" and were acting "professionally".

Mr. Rouhani added that the Strait of Ormuz – an essential waterway – was "not a place for games" and that no country could ignore international rules, reported his official site.

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Tensions between the United Kingdom and Iran have deteriorated earlier this month when the Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar suspected of violating EU sanctions. .

In response to the incident, Iran threatened to seize a British tanker.

Relations between Iran and the United States also deteriorated after the White House tightened sanctions against Tehran following its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.