Iranian cleric Mohammad Ali Mousavi Jazayeri warned Britain on Saturday about Tehran’s retaliation for the capture of an Iranian supertanker by Royal Marines in Gibraltar. “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, who is a member of the powerful clerical body, the Assembly of Experts. British Royal Marines seized the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran’s fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West. It comes as British flagged supertanker Pacfic Voyager is passing through the Persian Gulf this weekend.  Tehran yesterday threatened to seize British shipping in the Gulf in a direct response to the dramatic swoop by the marines with helicopters and fast boats in the early hours of Thursday.    Yesterday, Moshem Rezaei said Tehran had a “duty” to respond to the seizure of the Grace 1 over suspicions it was carrying oil to Bashar Assad’s Syrian regime in breach of EU sanctions. A detachment of Royal Marines from 42 Commando boarded the vessel on Thursday in a joint operation with the Royal Gibraltar Police. Writing on Twitter, Mr Rezaei, who led the Guard during the 1980s “tanker war” in the Gulf, said: “If England does not release the Iranian oil tanker, the duty… (of Iran) is to respond and seize one English oil tanker.” The warning came after Britain’s ambassador in Tehran, Rob Macaire, was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry [More]

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Britain would face “consequences” over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker. He also said Iran’s increase in uranium enrichment was for peaceful aims, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported. Iran has demanded the immediate release of the tanker Grace 1, which British Royal Marines boarded off the coast of Gibraltar last week and seized over accusations it was breaking sanctions by taking oil to Syria. “You [Britain] are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later,” Rouhani was quoted by Tasnim as saying after a cabinet meeting. Rouhani also said Iran’s decision to increase uranium enrichment would produce fuel for power plants and serve other peaceful aims, and that it was within the framework of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.  It comes as Britain deployed Royal Navy warship HMS Montrose into the Strait of Hormuz to protect UK shipping after Iran threatened to seize them in revenge. She is believed escorted oil tanker Pacific Voyager as she sailed through the piece of sea that separates the United Arab Emirates from Iran. The tanker had to be checked on by UK officials over the weekend as she stopped close to Iranian waters. The waterway has been the scene of five attacks of tankers this year amid a renewed flaring of tensions in the Gulf.    Iran has been squaring up to the West as it reels over the scrapping of the so-called nuclear deal by the US, which traded a pledge not to develop nukes for [More]

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.