Moment British-Flagged Oil Tanker Seized By Iranian Authorities
20 July 2019, 17:03 | Updated: 20 July 2019, 19:11
This is the moment Islamic Revolution Guard Corps boarded a British-flagged oil tanker, which has been detained in the Strait of Hormuz.
New footage from Iranian media channel FARS News Agency shows the moment Iran's Revolutionary Guards boarded UK tanker ship Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz for "violating international maritime rules".
Stena Bulk, which owns the ship, says it was in "full compliance with all navigation and international regulations."
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he has spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and said he "expressed extreme disappointment" that after having been reassured that Iran wanted to deescalate the situation, the country has "behaved in the opposite way".
"This has to be about actions not words if we are to find a way through," he wrote on Twitter.
"British shipping must and will be protected."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took to Twitter in response to the incident, calling on "all sides to show restraint".
- Government "Deeply Concerned" by Seizure Of Oil Tanker In Persian Gulf
In the footage, a helicopter is seen hovering over the vessel before a number of figures abseil down onto the deck.
A couple of boats are also seen sailing alongside the tanker.
A spokesperson for the Revolution Guards said they were able to bring the Stena Impero to their shores despite "resistance and interference" from a British warship.
But Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt said HMS Montrose was an hour away from being able to assist at the time of the incident.
Watch above.
