British Royal Marines seized the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday, accusing it of trying to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. But this dramatic step has infuriated Iran, threatening to escalate confrontations with the West. Mohsen Rezai, a senior commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said in a tweet: “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the (Iranian) authorities duty to seize a British oil tanker.” He added: “Islamic Iran in its 40-year history has never initiated hostilities in any battles but has also never hesitated in responding to bullies.” Tehran had summoned the British ambassador to voice “its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure” of its ship. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the Iranian oil tanker was carrying crude oil from Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA. Gibraltar said it had reasonable grounds to believe the Grace 1 was carrying crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria. The Grace 1 was impounded off the coast of Gibraltar after sailing around Africa – the longer route from the Middle East to the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea The EU has had sanctions in place for nearly a decade that restrict oil sales to Syria. Europe does not have broad sanctions in place against Iran, but the US does, forcing Tehran into mainstream markets to look for unconventional outlets to sell oil. But Spain also reignited its war of words with Britain over sovereignty in Gibraltar following the seizure of the tanker. Acting Foreign Minister Josep [More]

Großbritannien beschlagnahmt Iranischen Tanker vor Gibraltar Iran droht mit Gegenmaßnahmen 5.07.2019 An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander threatened on Friday to seize a British ship in retaliation for the capture of an Iranian supertanker in Gibraltar by Royal Marines. “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities duty to seize a British oil tanker,” Mohsen Rezai said on Twitter. The Gibraltar government said the crew on board the supertanker Grace 1 were being interviewed as witnesses, not criminal suspects, in an effort to establish the nature of the cargo and its ultimate destination. British Royal Marines abseiled onto the ship off the coast of the British territory on Thursday and seized it. They landed a helicopter on the moving vessel in pitch darkness. The move escalates a confrontation between Iran and the West just weeks after the United States called off air strikes minutes before impact, and draws Washington’s close ally into a crisis in which European powers had striven to appear neutral. Bericht:https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-tanker/iran-threatens-british-shipping-in-retaliation-for-tanker-seizure-idUSKCN1U00S5 Bildquelle: Reuters und Google Maps Zugriff: https://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20190705&t=2&i=1404738153&r=LYNXNPEF640LP&w=1280 https://www.google.de/maps/place/Gibraltar/@37.1184753,15.0393018,5.79z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0xd0cbf762714be35:0x384e25263600870f!8m2!3d36.140751!4d-5.353585

Iranian military commanders warned it will be their “duty” to respond in kind following the dramatic swoop yesterday on 300,000-tonne vessel Grace 1. Grace 1 is believed to have been transporting oil from Iran to a refinery in Syria, flaunting international sanctions.  Royal Marines used helicopters and fast attack boats to capture the vessel – flagged to Panama – in a dramatic operation.  Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezai however threatened to seize a British tanker in response. Taking to Twitter, he said: “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the Iranian authorities duty to seize a British oil tanker.” Tehran authorities also summonded the British ambassador to answer for the incident which they have branded “piracy”.     Royal Marines were hailed for the “brave” and “bold” operation to seize the tanker suspected of carrying oil destined for the cruel regime of Bashar al-Assad.  The marines worked alongside the authorities in Gibraltar to detain the Grace 1, which was believed to be heading to the Banyas refinery in breach of European Union sanctions. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the swift action by the authorities on the Rock and the Royal Marines would deny valuable resources to Assad’s “murderous regime”. The marines were brought in to use their specialist boarding skills to help ensure the Royal Gibraltar Police could gain access to the tanker at sea.    The first marines onto the vessel descended on ropes from a Wildcat helicopter, while others were in rigid inflatable boats – around 16 Royal Gibraltar Police officers were also involved in the [More]

Iran threatens to seize British oil tanker after Marines storm ship off Gibraltar coast IRAN has threatened to seize a British oil tanker if the Iranian tanker detained in Gibraltar is not immediately released. British Royal Marines seized the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday, accusing it of trying to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. But this dramatic step has infuriated Iran, threatening to escalate confrontations with the West. Mohsen Rezai, a senior commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said in a tweet: “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the (Iranian) authorities duty to seize a British oil tanker.” He added: “Islamic Iran in its 40-year history has never initiated hostilities in any battles but has also never hesitated in responding to bullies.” Tehran had summoned the British ambassador to voice “its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure” of its ship. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the Iranian oil tanker was carrying crude oil from Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA. Gibraltar said it had reasonable grounds to believe the Grace 1 was carrying crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria. The Grace 1 was impounded off the coast of Gibraltar after sailing around Africa – the longer route from the Middle East to the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea The EU has had sanctions in place for nearly a decade that restrict oil sales to Syria. Europe does not have broad sanctions in place [More]

“The UK government is following US foreign policy” says Iranian political communications professor Foad Izadi after Iran slams UK’s seizure of oil tanker off Gibraltar as ‘maritime piracy’. Like what you see? Please subscribe http://youtube.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RTUKnews FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK: http://fb.com/RTUKnews READ MORE http://rt.com/uk/ WATCH LIVE: http://rt.com/on-air/rt-uk-air/

BRITAIN should be “scared” about Tehran’s retaliation over the dramatic seizure of an Iranian supertanker by Royal Marines, a firebrand cleric warned today. Mohammad Ali Mousavi Jazayeri hinted the Islamic Republic may strike back over the capture of the giant vessel, impounded over fears it was illegally shipping oil to Syria. “I am openly saying that Britain should be scared of Iran’s retaliatory measures over the illegal seizure of the Iranian oil tanker,” said the cleric, a member of the powerful clerical body the Assembly of Experts.

Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7 http://f24.my/YTliveEN White House National Security Advisor John Bolton applauded the interception by Britain’s Gibraltar Thursday of a super tanker believed to be carrying Iranian crude oil to Syria, saying the ship was breaking international sanctions. Visit our website: http://www.france24.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://f24.my/youtubeEN Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en