British Royal Marines seized the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday, accusing it of trying to take oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. But this dramatic step has infuriated Iran, threatening to escalate confrontations with the West. Mohsen Rezai, a senior commander in Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said in a tweet: “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the (Iranian) authorities duty to seize a British oil tanker.”
He added: “Islamic Iran in its 40-year history has never initiated hostilities in any battles but has also never hesitated in responding to bullies.”
Tehran had summoned the British ambassador to voice “its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure” of its ship.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the Iranian oil tanker was carrying crude oil from Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Gibraltar said it had reasonable grounds to believe the Grace 1 was carrying crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.
The Grace 1 was impounded off the coast of Gibraltar after sailing around Africa – the longer route from the Middle East to the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea
The EU has had sanctions in place for nearly a decade that restrict oil sales to Syria.
Europe does not have broad sanctions in place against Iran, but the US does, forcing Tehran into mainstream markets to look for unconventional outlets to sell oil.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.