Strait of Hormuz: Iranian boats 'tried to intercept British tanker'

  • UK

Image copyright Reuters


HMS Montrose, a British frigate shadowing the BP-owned tanker, was forced to move between the three boats and the tanker, a spokesman said.



Last week, British Royal Marines helped the authorities in Gibraltar seize an Iranian tanker because of evidence it was carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

A spokesman for the Royal Gibraltar Police said they had arrested the Indian captain and chief officer of the Iranian tanker on Thursday, on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions, but neither had been charged.

On Wednesday boats believed to belong to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) approached the British Heritage tanker and tried to bring it to a halt as it was moving out of the Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz.


The BBC has been told British Heritage was near the island of Abu Musa when it was approached by the Iranian boats.


Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt said the government was concerned by the incident and urged the Iranian authorities to "de-escalate the situation".

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt added the UK would monitor the situation "very carefully".

Prime Minister Theresa May's official spokesman said the government was "committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in accordance with international law".

What does Iran say?

The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps has denied claims it tried to seize the tanker, Iranian news agencies reported. IRGC's navy said there had been no confrontation with any foreign vessels in the past 24 hours.


"These claims have no value," Mr Zarif added, according to the Fars news agency.

Why are UK-Iran tensions escalating?

Image copyright EPA
Image caption Two tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in June


Tensions grew after the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker by authorities in Gibraltar, assisted by British Royal Marines.

On Thursday an Iranian official told the BBC the seizure was "unnecessary and non-constructive escalation by the UK".

The official claimed the oil was not bound for Syria and called for the tanker to be released.

The government of Gibraltar said it would not comment on matters relating to the vessel as it was the subject of a police investigation. It said the matter was also now in the Supreme Court.

The Port of Gibraltar's live map showed the tanker, Grace 1, remained anchored about 3km off the east coast of Gibraltar.

Image copyright Reuters

At the time of the Gibraltar incident, Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to complain about what it said was a "form of piracy".

An Iranian official said a British oil tanker should be seized if Grace 1 was not released.


HMS Montrose had shadowed the British tanker Pacific Voyager for some of the way through the Strait of Hormuz, but that journey had passed without incident.



Video caption Why does the Strait of Hormuz matter?


This is enough to provide reassurance, but probably not to deal with a crisis, BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said.



The Ministry of Defence confirmed Royal Marines were on board HMS Montrose and said this was normal for frigates and destroyers deployed to the Gulf.

Can ships in the area avoid Iranian waters?


So instead of sailing through international waters, ships must pass through Iranian or Omani territory which both extend 12 nautical miles out from their coasts.

Ships do this under something called Rights of Straits Passage - part of a UN convention which gives ships free passage through the world's chokepoints like the Strait of Gibraltar and the Malacca Strait.

In the case of the Strait of Hormuz, shipping is channelled through two lanes heading in opposite directions, each one two nautical miles wide.

This is called the Traffic Separation Scheme.

Both Iran and the US Navy deploy warships to patrol this area and have narrowly avoided confrontation on several occasions.

Once ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Gulf they need to be wary of a contested area around the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

These are claimed by both Iran and the UAE but occupied solely by Iranian forces.

Could the UK-Iran situation get worse?







What we know about British Heritage

It is understood British Heritage was not carrying cargo at the time of the incident with the Iranian boats.

A spokesman for BP said: "Our top priority is the safety and security of our crews and vessels.

"While we are not commenting on these events, we thank the Royal Navy for their support."

The vessel is registered at the port of Douglas, in the Isle of Man.

What are US-Iran tensions about?


On Wednesday the chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it wanted to create a multi-national military coalition to safeguard waters around Iran and Yemen .




