Iranian Boats 'Attempted To Impede' British Oil Tanker In Strategic Strait

Britain says three Iranian boats "attempted to impede" a British oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, in a move that followed threats from Tehran that London would face consequences for the seizure of an Iranian supertanker last week.

"Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the strait of Hormuz," said a government statement released on July 11.

The British warship, HMS Montrose, was "forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away," the statement said.

"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region," the statement added.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) denied trying to stop the British tanker, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported on July 11.

Earlier, U.S. media reported that five armed Iranian boats attempted to seize a British tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz but were driven off by a Royal Navy vessel.

The CNN news channel, citing two U.S. officials, reported late on July 10 that the Iranians ordered the British Heritage oil tanker crossing the strait to change course and stop in Iranian territorial waters nearby.

But the incident ended when Britain’s HMS Montrose, which was acting as an escort for the tanker, pointed its guns at the Iranian boats as a warning, forcing them to back off, CNN said.

The action came just a few hours after Iranian President Hassan Rohani warned that Britain would face "consequences" over the seizure of an Iranian supertanker last week.

Rohani was quoted by the official IRNA news agency on July 10 as calling the seizure "mean and wrong" during a Cabinet meeting.

British Royal Marines boarded the supertanker, Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4 and seized it over suspicions it was breaking sanctions by taking oil to Syria.

Iran has demanded the immediate release of the oil tanker, while an IRGC commander threatened on July 5 to seize a British ship in retaliation.

"I point out to the British that you initiated insecurity [in the region] and you shall grasp the consequences of it later on," Rohani said in comments to the Cabinet that were broadcast by state TV.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on July 10 to ratchet up sanctions on Iran and again denounced the 2015 nuclear deal Iran signed with world powers as the UN nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting on Tehran's breach of the deal.

"Sanctions will soon be increased, substantially!" Trump said on Twitter.

Trump last year pulled the United States out of the deal, which offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for significant curbs on its sensitive nuclear activities.

Iran had been complying with the deal, but over the weekend it increased its uranium enrichment beyond limits set in the accord in an attempt to pressure European countries to find a way around U.S. sanctions.