Iran detained the British tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz. This was announced by the Press TV channel with reference to the statement of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). It is noted that the ship "violated international shipping regulations."
At the same time, British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said that Iran had detained not one, but two tankers, one of which was flying the British flag, and the second - under the Liberian. There are no citizens of the United Kingdom on any of them, the minister said.
There are 23 sailors aboard the Stena Impero, told the ship-owning company Stena Bulk & Northern Marine Managment. As stated in their press release, the tanker was located in international waters.
“Unidentified small vessels and a helicopter approached the Stena Impero ship registered in the UK during the passage through the Strait of Hormuz, at that moment the ship was in international waters. We are currently unable to reach the vessel heading north to Iran, ”the company said.
Representatives of the organization also said that there are Russians on board, their number is being specified. Officially, this information has not yet been confirmed.
Agency Fars, citing a source, reported that the tanker was stopped because it turned off its identification system and did not follow the sea route.
“The reason behind the detention of the British tanker is that it did not adhere to the sea routes in the Strait of Hormuz, turned off the automatic identification system AIS, polluted international waters and did not pay attention to the warnings of Iran,” the agency said the source.
In the United States, this incident was called the “escalation of violence” by Iran and said that they would continue to work on countering Tehran.
“We are aware of reports that Iranian boats seized a British oil tanker. This is the second time this week, when the UK has become the object of escalation of violence by the Iranian regime. The United States will continue to work with our allies and partners to protect our security and interests from the malicious actions of Iran, ”said Garret Marki, an official representative of the United States National Security Council.
Recall, July 11 in London, reported that Iranian boats tried to prevent the passage of the British tanker British Heritage through the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran stated that the coast guard did not interact with any foreign courts that day. And the head of the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic, Javad Mohammad Zarif, expressed the opinion that with such statements the United Kingdom intentionally creates tension in the region.
"There are hotheads in the region"
The situation around Iran causes concern in Russia, because everything happens near the Russian borders. About this in an interview with American director Oliver Stone, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. He stressed that Moscow would welcome any movement of Washington and Tehran towards each other.
"We would welcome any movement forward towards each other between the United States and Iran," Putin said.
At the same time, Russia noted that the escalation of the situation around Iran was a consequence of US policy.
“The current surge of tension around Iran is a direct consequence of the short-sighted and dangerous course chosen by the US administration. The policy of total suffocation of the Iranian economy pursued by the Americans led to a sharp aggravation of the situation in the Persian Gulf region, ”said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with the Rheinische Post.
The pressure of the United States has led to the situation in the region in the near-war state, according to political analyst Alexander Asafov.
“The situation is political and, as we see, in the near-war escalation. Iran makes the obvious conclusion that humility, attempts at conciliation and concessions will lead to destruction. Therefore, they make statements that ultimately do not calm the situation at all, ”he said to RT.
On Friday, July 19, US President Donald Trump warned Iran about the inadmissibility of "military adventures" against the United States.
“We hope for their sake that they will not do anything stupid. If they do, they will pay a price that no one has ever paid, ”said the American leader.
Earlier, Trump said that the American amphibious assault ship Boxer allegedly shot down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, the UAV "threatened the safety of the ship and its crew," approaching a distance of about 900 meters.
- Landing Ship US Navy Boxer
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According to Trump, Iran is committing "hostile and provocative actions against ships in international waters" and called on all countries to condemn Tehran and take measures to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
However, in Iran, information about the downed drone denied. So, shortly after Trump's statement, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, Jawad Mohammad Zarif, said that Tehran did not have information about the downed UAV. Later, the official representative of the armed forces of Iran, Abolfazl Schekarchi, said that all the drones had returned to their bases.
"Contrary to Trump's false claims based on Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicles in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz ... safely returned to their bases after completing the planned reconnaissance and patrol missions," Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
Later, the Press TV channel published a video made from a UAV, allegedly shot down by an American ship. It is noted that the drone performed its task, after which he returned to his base before arriving in the region USS Boxer.
Nevertheless, Trump insists that the American ship destroyed the Iranian UAV.
The policy of threats before negotiations is peculiar to Donald Trump, says Dmitry Solonnikov, director of the Institute of Contemporary State Development. In an interview with RT, the expert recalled that the White House’s head also threatened the DPRK, but later negotiations began between the countries.
“We remember Trump's statements about North Korea, a few years ago, the situation was injected there. But in the end it did not end there, and the threats were extraordinary. Now the same sounds in relation to Iran, ”Solonnikov said.
Nevertheless, there is a possibility of a conflict in the region, the analyst stated.
“Of course, I would like it to end only with rhetoric. But there are hot heads in the region and not all of them control Trump, ”Solonnikov added.
It is worth noting that Trump and previously threatened Iran. So, on June 26, he warned about the possible destruction of the Islamic republic in case of an attack by Tehran "against something American."
“Any Iranian attack against anything American will be met with tremendous and overwhelming force. In some areas, “overwhelming” will mean destruction, ”he wrote on Twitter.
At the same time, the administration of the 45th US President is also pursuing a policy of unilateral sanctions against Iran. From the moment of their exit from the FPGA in 2018, Washington restored the old restrictions in force, and also introduced new ones.
The White House noted that they will continue to exert pressure on Iran until it changes its policy. At the same time, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Washington is ready for negotiations without preliminary conditions.
“President Trump made it clear that we are ready for negotiations without preconditions. The Iranians continue to say: “We will only speak if the United States does something,” he said on Friday, July 19.
Recall earlier in Iran expressed willingness to dialogue and cooperation with the United States, provided that the US administration abandons the policy of unilateral sanctions.
With the help of pressure, Trump intends to achieve a deal on his own terms, said political scientist Oleg Matveychev in a conversation with RT at HSE.
“At the moment, this is a kind of pressure and a way to re-sign the Iranian deal on new terms, pressure, and so on. On the other hand, we understand that the whole environment of Trump is very strongly tied to the Israeli lobby and to the weakening of Iran. This is the strategic goal of the president, ”the expert said.
“Whatever readiness for dialogue does not show Iran, the United States does not need a dialogue. They want to see this strategic goal - a weakened, almost non-existent country without sovereignty, ”the political scientist concluded.