- BRITISH FLEET HELPLESS IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, THEIR NEW DUNKIRK.
- "IRAN SEIZES UK-VESSELS"!. TRANSLATION FROM DEEP STATE TO REAL: IRAN IMPOUNDS UK-VESSELS.
- NO SECOND SHIP SEIZED. IT SPRUNG A LEAK, WAS REPAIRED AND RESUMED IT JOURNEY.
Boris Johnson Buggered! Iran Takes British Oil Tanker While 3 UK Warships Powerless to Help
Official Statement:
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has said that it has captured a British oil tanker for breaching international maritime law while crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC’s Public Relations Department said in a statement on Friday that the vessel named “Stena Impero” had been confiscated “at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organization when passing through the Strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules.”
The oil tanker was transferred to the coast to undergo the required legal proceedings, the statement added.
The Stena Impero was headed to Saudi Arabia but
Prior to the seizure, the tanker turned off its tracking device and had ignored warnings, Iranian military sources told state media.
“The reason behind the detention of the British tanker is that it did not adhere to the sea routes in the Strait of Hormuz, turned off the automatic identification system (AIS), polluted international waters and did not pay attention to the warnings of Iran,” the source said.
The 30,000-ton tanker is owned by Stena Bulk, and was bound for the Saudi port of Al Jubail.
Stena issued a statement that the ship was “approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz, while the vessel was in international waters.”
BREAKING: THE BRITISH FLAGGED ‘STENA IMPERO’ HAS TAKEN A VERY SUDDEN TURN INTO IRANIAN WATERS DESPITE HER ORIGINAL DESTINATION BEING SAUDI ARABIA, ACCORDING TO DATA RELAYED BY MARITIME TRACKING SERVICES. HTTPS://UKDEFENCEJOURNAL.ORG.UK/BRITISH-FLAGGED-TANKER-APPEARS-TO-HAVE-BEEN-SEIZED-BY-IRAN/… British flagged tanker seized by Iran
THE ‘STENA IMPERO’ TANKER HAS BEEN SEIZED BY IRAN.
The company is “presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran.” There are 23 crew members aboard.
UK authorities said they were “assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf.”
Another tanker, the Liberian-flagged Mesdar, abruptly changed course and headed for the Iranian mainland on Friday evening. The ship is owned by Norbulk Shipping UK and was bound for Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia.
CONFIRMED VLCC TANKER #MESDAR OWNED BY “NEW OCEAN SHIPPING VENTURE LTD,” GLASGOW, UK AND OPERATED BY “NORBULK SHIPPING UK LTD,” ALSO HEADQUARTERED IN GLASGOW HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/MT_STRAT/STATUS/1152299282969571330…
2ND TANKER SEIZED BY #IRGC IN #STRAITOFHORMUZ NOW IDENTIFIED AS VLCC (VERY LARGE CRUDE CARRIER) #MESDAR, ORIGINALLY DESTINED FOR RAS TANURA, #SAUDIARABIA. SHIP IS LIBERIAN-FLAGGED. UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT MESDAR OPERATED BY #UK COMPANY. HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/MT_STRAT/STATUS/1152296757713391616…
Tehran and London have been at odds since July 4, when Royal Marines boarded and seized Iranian tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar, accusing the ship of illegally transporting oil to Syria. Iranian authorities condemned the seizure as “piracy” and vowed to retaliate.
Six days later, the Royal Navy said its frigate HMS Montrose intervened to prevent several Iranian boats from seizing the UK-flagged tanker British Heritage in the Persian Gulf.
Earlier this week, alarms were raised after the disappearance of the Emirati-based tanker MT Riah, flying the Panamanian flag. Iran said the tanker experienced technical troubles and had been towed to port for repairs.
ALSO ON RT.
Washington has sought to establish a “coalition” of allied navies in the region to ensure “freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important shipping lanes in the world for oil traffic.
British Military Clarifying Info as IRGC Says It Has Confiscated UK Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Relations between the UK and Iran worsened recently after Iranian supertanker Grace 1 was detained off the coast of Gibraltar earlier this month on suspicion of carrying oil to Syria for refinement.
The British oil tanker “Stena Impero” is now heading north towards Iran, the ship’s managing company, Northern Marine, has said.
“We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran”, the owners, Stena Bulk, and the ship’s managers, Northern Marine, said, as quoted by The Guardian.
The paper added that the ship’s owners have issued a statement saying that the vessel was “approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter” while sailing through international waters in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said they have confiscated
Iranian soldiers take part in the “National Persian Gulf day” in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 30, 2019
According to the report, the British oil tanker “Stena Impero” was detained over a violation of international norms.
A defence tanker’s
Earlier on Friday, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence .
The incident comes on the same day as a court in Gibraltar announced that an Iranian tanker, the Grace 1, would be detained for 30 more days. The tanker was carrying about two million barrels of crude oil when it was detained by British Royal Marines on suspicion of shipping oil to Syria. Iran has denied the allegation.
Russians Were Aboard UK-Flagged Oil Tanker Seized by IRGC – Report
The UK-flagged Stena Imperio oil tanker was seized earlier on Friday during a passage through the Strait of Hormuz while in international waters. According to the cargo vessel owner Stena Bulk, there are 23 crew aboard the seized ship.
A representative for the company said Friday that there were Russian nationals aboard the UK-flagged oil tanker. However, the exact number of Russian seafarers reportedly remains unknown. The company has added that it was unable to establish contact with the vessel and that it is maintaining close contact with UK authorities.
According to British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Iran has allegedly seized
Earlier on Friday, Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz after it violated international regulations.
The security situation in the Persian Gulf and adjacent areas has been steadily worsening over the past few months. In May, four oil tankers were targeted in sabotage attacks off the UAE coast. In June, two more oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf. The United States blamed Iran for the incidents and started building up its military presence in the Gulf.
Shortly after, the IRGC claimed to have downed a US surveillance drone in its airspace over the coastal Hormozgan province. The US Central Command said that the drone had been operating and was shot down while transiting international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. Following the incident, US President Donald Trump said the United States was ready for retaliatory strikes on Iran before later calling them off, claiming they would have been “disproportionate”.
Earlier this week, media
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is seriously concerned about the confrontation between the United States and Iran as it is taking place near borders
Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told reporters on Friday that Moscow is concerned about reports of a seized United Kingdom oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
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IRGC Releases Surveillance Footage in Rebutal to Trump’s Claim about Downing Iranian Drone
TEHRAN (FNA) Gauds [
US President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that the USS Boxer had fired on an Iranian drone on Thursday, shooting
“The Boxer took defensive action against an Iranian drone, which had closed into a near distance, approximately 1000 yards, ignoring multiple calls to stand down threatening safety ship and ship’s crew
The US president claimed that Iran’s drone “was immediately destroyed.”
Minutes later the Pentagon also issued a statement to confirm the report, but did not claim that the drone was Iranian.
The Pentagon claimed the Iranian drone was within a “threatening range” of the US ship.
“At approximately 10 am local time, the amphibious ship USS Boxer was in international waters conducting a planned inbound transit of the Strait of Hormuz,” chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
“A fixed wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range. The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.”
The top military brass in Tehran rushed to deny the claim. Spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said on Friday that Trump's statement was absurd and baseless, stressing that the false claim about downing an Iranian Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) was intended to increase tensions in international waterways and disrupting security in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Unlike Trump’s delusional and groundless claim, all drones belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including the one mentioned by the US president, have returned to their bases safe and sound after carrying out their scheduled surveillance and control operations,” the Armed Forces mouthpiece added.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran always feel duty-bound to protect, control, and safeguard the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz with full vigilance while observing international regulations,” he added.
Hours later on Friday, the IRGC described the US president's claim as "ridiculous", and declared that it would release the footage collected by its drone from the US warship to prove the falsity of Washington’s claims.
“We will soon release the footage recorded by the IRGC Aerospace Force drone from the USS Boxer to expose Americans’ baseless claims to the public opinion of the world,” the public relations department of the IRGC announced today.
“The footage will show that the drone of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force was conducting its routine mission in the region before the arrival of the American vessel at the Strait of Hormuz,” read the communique, adding that the drone has sent footage of its “monitoring and surveilling the aforementioned ship both before and after the time that Americans claim”.
The statement added that after recording the footage from the US warship, the drone returned to its base intact.
“The marine and aerospace units of the IRGC vigilantly and continuously monitor the moves by the foreigners, particularly the terrorist forces of the US and the UK in the strategic region, based on their legal duties and for establishing security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf,” it added.
The IRGC reassured that with its complete intelligence dominance and preparedness, it will deliver a proportionate response to any act of aggression and violation of the international law.
The footage released by the IRGC has been recorded by the drone during a surveillance mission over the Strait of Hormuz over the USS Boxer.
IRGC Navy drones routinely fly over the strategic waterway of the Strait of Hormuz to ensure its security for free international maritime transportation.
The footage shows the trafficking of vessels through the Strait of Hurmuz before the arrival of the American warship and continues to cover the area after the US vessel moves forward and then keeps surveilling the USS Boxer.
The IRGC issued a statement after releasing the video on Friday evening, saying that the drone has been watching the USS Boxer and five other US warships accompanying it for three hours, from the time when they had not made an entry into the Strait of Hormuz to the time when exited the waterway.
"During this period, out drone bases have not observed and recorded any unconventional and threatening action by the US terrorist forces on the stated warship," the IRGC statement reiterated.
"Hence, it is more evident and proved now that the claim raised by the US officials about the shooting down of an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz without any (supportive) evidence has been baseless and a lie," it added.
The footage indicates that it has been recorded by the Iran -made drone, Mohajer-4, an unmanned aircraft designed and manufactured for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, with the maximum speed of 200km/phr and flight durability of 7 hours.
The claim by the US president has been refuted by a range of Iranian officials since it was first raised by Donald Trump at a White House event on Thursday. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi said in a tweet, “We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else.”
“I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS by mistake!”, he said in sarcastic words.
The incident came almost a month after the IRGC shot down an intruding American spy drone in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormuzgan.
On Tuesday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the shooting down of a US spy drone over Iranian territorial waters by the IRGC shattered the US military awe.
"The operation to shoot down the US drone in Iran's sky was successful in every aspect. The operation shattered the awe of the world arrogant power (US) and displayed the rotten and cracked skeleton of the arrogant powers to everyone," General Hajizadeh said in the Northeastern city of Mashhad on Tuesday.
He added that the different dimensions of the operation will come in light throughout time.
In relevant remarks on Monday, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami underlined Armed Forces' full preparedness to give a strong response to enemies, saying that downing of a US spy drone over Iran's territories proved the country's high capability to defend itself.
"Downing of the US advanced and expensive Global Hawk spy drone by Iran's integrated air defense surprised foreign experts about the Islamic Republic of Iran's military capability in defending the country's borders and confronting the aggressors," General Hatami said, addressing the Iranian parliamentarians in Tehran.
He underlined that all stages which led to the destruction of the spy drone, including detection, interception and destruction, were completed by using indigenized technology and military equipment, and said, "The Iranian Armed Forces are fully prepared to give a crushing response to any threat and stupidity by enemies and will make them regret their deeds."
General Hatami stressed that the Iranian Armed Forces would powerfully continue enhancement of their defense power.
Also, last week, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri warned of his country's strong and painful response to any enemy offensive.
"Undoubtedly, a hard and crushing response will be waiting for those who intend to harm Iran and its borders' security," General Baqeri said during a visit to the country's Northeastern bordering areas on Wednesday.
He added that the Iranian people, including the Shiites and the Sunnis, along with the country's Armed Forces would foil any enemy plots against Iran's sustainable security.
His remarks came after the IRGC Aerospace Force shot down an American spy drone over the territorial waters of Iran near the Strait of Hormuz at dawn on June 20.
Also, US President Donald Trump said the US air force was “cocked and loaded” to attack three Iranian targets a day later, but he called off the strike with 10 minutes to spare after being told that the airstrike might kill as many as 150 people.
Trump said in a series of tweets that he decided that the death toll was not a proportionate response to the Iranian shooting down of a US spy drone off the Iranian coast.
After Trump's remarks, General Hajizadeh said that his forces could have shot down a US P8 aircraft with 35 on board which was violating Iran’s airspace, but decided to shoot down the drone to only send a message to Washington.
“We intended to send a message to American terrorists in the region,” Brigadier General Hajizadeh said, adding that his forces had also traced a military P8 aircraft violating the airspace of Iran.
“Along with the American drone was an American P8 aircraft with 35 on board, and it was also violating our airspace and we could have downed it too,” he said, adding, “But we did not do (shoot down) it, because our aim was to warn the terrorist forces of the US.”
General Hajizadeh also stressed that Iran was not after war but was fully ready to defend itself, adding that the fate of the downed US spy drone was waiting for any intruding flying object.
“Our response to anything trespassing Iranian territory is like this, and if such acts of aggression are repeated, our response will also be the same," General Hajizadeh said.
“We don’t embrace war but we are ready to fully defend the country,” he said.
"We possess a collection of US drones which is a proof that US has violated Iran’s airspace and shows that they don’t want to respect the international law,” General Hajizadeh said.
“If such an aggression is repeated, we will add other US (military) products to complete this collection,” he noted.
“The US measure was in violation of international law and we acted according to our legitimate responsibility,” General Hajizadeh said, adding, “It is possible that a US general or some operators were behind this American aggression, we don’t know that. But that measure (intruding into Iranian airspace) is a violation of international aviation rules by a spy drone which then received our natural response."
Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that his country had retrieved parts of the spy drone that was shot down from the country's territorial waters, rejecting Washington's claim that the aircraft was targeted in international waters.
"(The) US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode and violated Iranian airspace," Zarif wrote on Twitter, adding that the drone "was targeted near... Kouh -e Mobarak" region in the Central district of Jask in Hormuzgan province after the aircraft violated Iran's airspace.
In an earlier tweet, Zarif stated that Iran "will take this US new aggression to (the) UN and show that the US is lying about international waters".
The Iranian foreign minister noted that Tehran does not want war, "but will zealously defend our skies, land and waters".
Meantime, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami stressed that the move should alert Washington officials to stay away.
The incident sent "a clear message" to the US and other enemies that Iran will show a firm and crushing response to any aggression, Salami stated.
"Borders are our red lines and any enemy which violates them will not go back home and will be annihilated. The only way for enemies is to respect Iran's territorial integrity and national interests," the major general noted.
Also, earlier this month, General Salami said Iran's military power and might had taken the military option off the table for the US, stating that the US was fearful of war against Iran.
"We have completely blocked the road to the enemies in the military field and we have reversed the balance. Under the current situation, it is the enemies who are concerned about war and this concern is displayed in their physical and tactical behavior," General Salami said, addressing the commanders and personnel of Khatam al-Anbia base in Tehran.
He said the US exercised a similar offensive strategy in the political field first, but "eventually, they announced that they didn't intend to go for a confrontation and called it a quit ; in fact, this was a retreat to give them a chance to save themselves from a bottleneck they had created themselves."
"Today, our global power is very well known and credited, and it includes an extraordinary deterrence capacity; we have managed to shatter the United States' awe in the world public opinion" on the scene of action, General Salami said.
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No Second UK Tanker Seized by Iran
TEHRAN (FNA)
The UK owned tanker, MV Mesdar, operating under Liberian flag was stopped by Iran's naval patrols in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening after it started oil leaks in the waterway.
The ship was sent back to the international waters to continue its voyage after a short time and after it was warned to show full respect for environmental regulations and harmless navigation.
Senior military officials also rejected reports by some western media outlets claiming that the Liberian-flagged tanker has been seized, stressing that 'Stena Impero' is the only foreign ship under Iranian custody.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced in a statement issued on Friday evening that its naval forces have seized British tanker ship
"UK tanker ship, Stena Impero, has been detained by the vessels unit of the IRGC Navy's First Naval Zone at the request of the Ports and Maritime Organization's office of Hormuzgan province for disregarding international maritime rules and regulations as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz this afternoon," the statement by
The statement said the ship has been escorted to the Iranian coastal waters in Hormuzgan province and its control has been transferred to the Ports and Maritime Organization for further legal procedures and investigations.
A statement by Stena Impero shipping firm onboard since
Media reports said the tanker was heading to Saudi Arabia's port of Al-Jobail from the UAE port of Fujairah when it was detained by the IRGC.
Director-General of the Ports and Maritime Organization's office in Hurmuzgan province said
Meantime, sources told FNA that "the British ship had switched off its tracking systems in violation of maritime rules and regulations and was making an entry from the exit point of the Strait of Hormuz in the South, disregarding the established procedures that require all entries be made through the Northern pass.
In early July, British marines
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “illegal move” of London and described it as “tantamount to piracy”. Tehran accused the UK of doing Washington’s bidding and helping the US attempt to stifle the Islamic Republic’s oil exports, rejecting London's claim that the supertanker was carrying crude for Syria.
The attorney general announced on Friday that Gibraltar's supreme court has ruled that the Iranian tanker seized by Britain's Royal Marines can be detained for 30 more days. The court's decision came a day after a senior Gibraltar's official described as “constructive” talks with Iran, raising hopes that the tanker would be released imminently.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has slammed Britain’s illegal seizure of the oil tanker, warning London of a pending response to the seizure of the supertanker that he referred to as a case of "piracy".
"They commit crimes and make it appear legal. The Islamic Republic and devout agents of the system will not leave such vicious acts without a response and they will respond in a proper opportunity and place," Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.
On Thursday, naval forces
Yet, a statement issued by the IRGC on Thursday denied that any other foreign ship had been seized during the last week as claimed by the western media.
The statement reiterated that the ship had been seized for "smuggling fuel from Iran", and no other reason.
The recent moves by foreign powers in the Middle East such as US sanctions on Tehran's oil, UK seizure of Iranian supertanker, as well as, "sabotage operations" on oil ships have heightened tensions in the region and leading into turmoil in the international energy market, affecting global crude prices in recent months.
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