Hunt says Iran may be on ‘dangerous path’ after seizing tanker
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British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Saturday that he was worried that Iran had taken a “dangerous path” after it seized a British-flagged tanker on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the Stena Impero had been taken to the port of Bander Abbas, which faces the strait, after it said the tanker had been involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing vessel. There were 23 people on the tanker when it was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard yesterday. The owners said they are Indian, Russian, Latvian and Filipino.
“Yesterday’s action in Gulf shows worrying signs Iran may be choosing a dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behaviour after Gibraltar’s legal detention of oil bound for Syria,” Hunt said on Twitter.
“As I said yesterday our reaction will be considered but robust. We have been trying to find a way to resolve Grace1 issue but will ensure the safety of our shipping.”
Hunt also said he was very concerned about the loss of contact between jailed British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family after she was moved from a prison in Tehran to a psychiatric ward in a hospital.
The French foreign affairs ministry has said it is “very concerned” by the seizure of the Stena Impero.
They add that such an action harms de-escalation efforts in the region.
The French foreign affairs ministry has said it is “very concerned” by the seizure of the Stena Impero.
They add that such an action harms de-escalation efforts in the region.