Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani hinted that his country might be willing to release the British-flagged oil tanker ‘Stena Impero’ it seized, if UK releases the detained Iranian tanker, Grace 1, which was seized off Gibraltar.
Hassan Rouhani said during a speech in the weekly cabinet session, that Iran does not want to continue tense relationships with Europe.
He specifically stated that if European countries are:
Committed to international frameworks and abandon some actions, including what they did in Gibraltar, they will receive a proper response from Iran
He also noted that Iran will not accept a ‘lack of discipline’ in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Iran opposes to military tension.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
British Royal Marines captured an oil tanker in Gibraltar on June 27, after being accused of bringing oil to Syria, thus breaching EU sanctions. In addition, the Royal Gibraltar Police has arrested the Indian Captain and Chief Officer of the Iranian tanker ‘Grace 1’, a few days after the ship was seized suspected of breaching EU sanctions by shipping oil to Syria.
Overall, the tension in Strait of Hormuz peaked after Iran seized Stena Impero, leading a part of the shipping sector addressing that this was an act of retaliation and an act against international shipping laws.