Iran Threatens To Seize British Ship In Retaliation For Oil Tanker Grace 1 Seizure

Iran has threatened to seize a British ship after the British Royal Marines detained an Iranian supertanker over suspicions the vessel was carrying oil to Syria.

In a tweet posted on Friday, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezai warned that Iranian authorities may seize a British oil tanker if Britain refuses to release the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1.

The ship was impounded off the British territory of Gibraltar, which lies at the southern tip of Spain.

“If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities’ duty to seize a British oil tanker,” said Rezai, who is also secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, which advises the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Islamic Iran in its 40-year history has never initiated hostilities in any battles but has also never hesitated in responding to bullies."

Grace 1 was seized on Thursday over accusations it was breaking EU sanctions by taking oil to Syria. The EU has banned oil shipments to Syria, a close ally of Iran since 2011.

The Royal Marines abseiled onto the Grace 1 tanker and landed a helicopter on the moving ship.

A spokesman for the government of Gibraltar said that all 28 crew members of the oil tanker who are mostly Indian, Pakistani and Ukrainian nationals remained on the vessel and were being interviewed as witnesses and not as criminal suspects, in a bid to identify the nature of the cargo and its destination.

The incident, however, is feared to escalate confrontations between Iran and the West. Last month, President Donald Trump approved military strikes against Iran in response to an Iranian surface-to-air missile downing an American surveillance drone. The air strikes were eventually called off.

Tehran has already summoned the British ambassador of its objection to the “illegal and unacceptable seizure of the ship”. It also accused Britain of acting at the bidding of its close ally, the United States.

Spain's acting foreign minister Josep Borrell has said that the United States had asked the UK to intercept Grace 1.

The Gibraltar Chronicle reported on Friday that the vessel can be detained for up to 72 hours unless the Supreme Court of the British overseas territory extends the deadline given the on-going investigation.