Iran denies report it tried to grab British oil tanker

By bne IntelliNews July 11, 2019

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) denied a report that they had stopped a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reported citing Fars News Agency on July 11.

According to a previous report by CNN, the IRGC navy unit ordered the British Heritage oil tanker, which was in the Strait of Hormuz, to change its direction towards Iranian waters. The Iranian boats departed after British warship HMS Montrose warned them off, all the while being videoed by the US in the distance.

Following the report by the US, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the UK’s claim that Iran tried to stop its ship was “worthless”, confirming the statement that the IRGC made on its social media channel earlier.

“Apparently the British tanker has passed. What they have said themselves and the claims that have been made are for creating tension and these claims have no value,” Zarif said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani previously warned Britain of “consequences” on July 10, over the detention of the Iranian super-tanker Grace I by Royal Marines off the coast of Gibraltar.

On July 8, Iran’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said: “The action runs counter to international regulations and is a kind of maritime piracy,” while in Bandar Abbas.

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