Three Iranian Boats Tried to 'Impede' Passage of British Tanker Through Strait of Hormuz, U.K. Says

British government states that the Iranian ships only turned away after receiving 'verbal warnings,' while Tehran denies it attempted to stop the British vessel

Archive: HMS Montrose intercepts suspected pirates during a counter piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden, 2010
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The British government said in a statement Thursday that the Iranian vessels only turned away after receiving "verbal warnings" from a U.K. navy vessel accompanying the commercial vessel British Heritage.

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"HMS Montrose [frigate] was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away," a British government representative said in a statement. 


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A British Royal Navy patrol vessel guards the oil supertanker Grace 1, Gibraltar, July 4, 2019.
\ Jon Nazca/ REUTERS



Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed as "worthless" the British allegation that Iran had sought to block the ship.

The incident followed President Donald Trump's warning he would soon "substantially" increase U.S. sanctions on Iran as part of a drive to curb Iran's nuclear programme and force Tehran to change its regional behaviour. 


Iran's Revolutionary Guards rejected the claim that they tried to stop the British vessel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

According to the BBC, the British Heritage tanker was approached as it was sailing from the Persian Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz, near the island of Musa. The island and its territorial waters are disputed between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, but according to the the report, the British vessels never left international waters.



Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said Britain would face "consequences" over the seizure of the Iranian tanker.




Last month, Iran shot down a U.S. drone near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting President Donald Trump to order retaliatory air strikes, only to call them off.

The U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Wednesday's incident happened as British Heritage was at the northern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed it guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed," one of the officials said.



Key shipping lane 


BP CEO Bob Dudley, asked about the situation in the Gulf at an event at London's Chatham House on Wednesday evening, said: "We've got to be super careful about our ships".

An escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, the main outlet for Middle East oil traded around the globe, could drive up crude prices. 

Maritime security sources said Britain was aiming to protect shipping lanes but there was no formal policy of escorting all UK ships through the area. The Montrose was there to ensure the safe passage of UK flagged ships when needed, they added. 




Oman, which hosts a joint British military base and shares the Strait of Hormuz with Iran, did not immediately comment. It has mediated between Tehran and the West and also allows the British and U.S. navies to use its ports on the Arabian Sea. 

Britain, France and Germany have sought to avoid being dragged into U.S. sanctions but say Iran must return to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal they were instrumental in brokering. 

They have so far avoided triggering a dispute resolution process contained in the deal. Iran says it could take new steps in the next two months, including restarting dismantled centrifuges and purifying uranium to a sharply higher threshold, unless it is allow to resume normal oil sales. 

Francois Lecointre, the French armed forces chief, described the friction between the United States and Iran as a "clash of wills". 

"I think it is under control now... I don't think it can spiral out of control but there can be escalation," he told CNews television. 

DPA contributed to this report.