Five Iranian ships unsuccessfully tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday - US officials say.Armed vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tried to capture the British Heritage tanker while it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.Iran's ships reportedly ordered the British vessel to divert its course and stop in Iranian waters which it was sailing nearby. Scroll down for video  The tanker British Heritage (pictured in Rotterdam last year) was targeted by Iranian ships in the Strait of HormuzBritish frigate the HMS Montrose was escorting the tanker and trained its guns on the Iranians before giving them a verbal warning to back off. A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident as the Iranian ships then fled - according to CNN.UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a 'maritime security role.'  RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 2 Next Iran's President accuses 'hopeless' Britain of being... Next generation of Royal Navy warships will be based at... Royal Navy shadows Russia's newest warship as the... Share this article Share It comes after Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar last week, which Britain says was violating EU sanctions by carrying fuel to Syria. Iran denies the vessel was bound for Syria and says the UK acted on behalf of the United States, which has separate sanctions in place against Tehran itself. Senior Iranian politicians had threatened to retaliate by seizing a British tanker.  The BP-owner British Heritage was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz with an escort from HMS Montrose when it was confronted by the Iranian ships The HMS Montrose (pictured firing a missile on exercise in 2013) warded off the Iranian vessels by training its guns on themIran's President Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet session earlier on Wednesday that Britain would 'see the consequences' after the Gibraltar seizure.In remarks broadcast on Iranian TV, Rouhani said: 'You (Britain) are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later.'Now you are so hopeless that, when one of your tankers wants to move in the region, you have to bring your frigates (to escort it) because you are scared. 'Then why do you commit such acts? You should instead allow navigation to be safe.'The HMS Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats. The Montrose, based in Bahrain, also has radar that allows it to track aircraft and missiles up to 120 miles away, and a missile system with a 20-mile range. The BP-owned British Heritage, had earlier halted to take refuge off the coast of Saudi Arabia following Iran's threat. Earlier this week, British tanker Pacific Voyager, which sails under the Isle of Man flag, was escorted through the Strait of Hormuz by HMS Montrose, a Type-23 frigate, on Tuesday.  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned earlier on Wednesday