• July 23, 2019

Iran Says Seizure Of UK-Flagged Tanker Was “Legal Measure”

TEHRAN July 23: Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was a “legal measure”, the spokesman for the Islamic republic’s government said on Monday.“Seizing the British tanker was a legal measure by Iran. Iran confronted the ship (to ensure) the region’s security,” Ali Rabiei told a news conference in Tehran.

Iran impounded the Stena Impero tanker on Friday on allegations it failed to respond to distress calls and turned off its transponder after hitting a fishing boat.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Sunday released video showing the deck of Stena Impero, a British-flagged tanker it seized on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz.

It has faced mounting calls to release the vessel and its crew — 18 Indians, three Russians, a Latvian and a Filipino.

“To all the countries that are calling on Iran to release the tanker, we ask them to tell Britain the same thing,” Rabiei said, referring to the seizure by the British authorities of an Iranian tanker in the Mediterranean on July 4.