The
release Sunday of an audio recording has shed new light on the seizure of a
British-flagged tanker at the hands of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as tensions
flare in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The
audio released by maritime security risk firm Dryad Global shows that a British
frigate was too far away from the targeted tanker to keep it from being
diverted into an Iranian port despite UK efforts to keep it from being boarded.
On
the recording, a stern-voiced British naval officer insists that the UK-flagged
oil tanker Stena Impero must be allowed to sail through the Strait of Hormuz
even as Iranian paramilitary forces demand — successfully — that the vessel
change course.
The
audio shows how Britain’s once mighty Royal Navy was unable to prevent the
ship’s seizure, which has been condemned by Britain and its European allies as
they continue to call for a reduction of tensions in the vital waterway.
The
free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is of critical importance to
the world’s energy supplies because one-fifth of all global crude exports pass
through the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.
In
the recording, an Iranian officer can be heard telling the Stena Impero to
change course, saying: “You obey, you will be safe.”
“Alter
your course to 360 degrees immediately, over,” the Iranian officer says, adding
that the ship is wanted for security reasons.
A
British naval officer from the HMS Montrose frigate that was patrolling the
area around the Strait of Hormuz is heard telling the Stena Impero, which had a
crew of 23 on board, that its passage must be allowed.
“Sir,
I reiterate that as you are conducting transit passage in a recognized
international strait, under international law your passage must not be
impaired, intruded, obstructed or hampered,” the unidentified British officer
says.
The
British officer then tells an Iranian patrol boat: “Please confirm that you are
not intending to violate international law by unlawfully attempting to board
the MV Stena.”
His
words did nothing to deter the Iranians.
British
officials say the HMS Montrose was roughly 60 minutes from the scene when the
Iranians took control of the tanker, too far away to intervene effectively.
Iranian
officials say the seizure of the British oil tanker was a justified response to
Britain’s role in impounding an Iranian supertanker two weeks earlier off the
coast of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern tip of
Spain.
Friday’s
seizure comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran stemming from
President Donald Trump’s decision last year to pull the US from Iran’s nuclear
accord with world powers and reinstate sweeping sanctions. The US has also
expanded its military presence in the region, while Iran has begun openly
exceeding the uranium enrichment levels set in the nuclear accord to try to
pressure Europe into alleviating the pain caused by the sanctions.
#Iran publishes video showing the Revolutionary Guard raise the #Iranian flag on the #British #OilTanker it seized#BaghdadPost #IranWar #TerrorismOfIran#IranRegimeChange pic.twitter.com/g1VD8qvpj9
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) July 21, 2019
European nations, which are trying to save the nuclear deal and keep Iran from isolation, have tried to come up with ways to keep trading with Iran but have run smack into Trump’s sanctions
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government plans to spell out its response in a briefing to Parliament on Monday. Officials have said a military response is extremely unlikely and Britain has taken steps to bolster its diplomatic efforts.
The tanker seizure comes at a ticklish time for Britain, which on Wednesday will see a new prime minister replace Theresa May. The two contenders for the job are front-runner Boris Johnson and Hunt, who has a key role in dealing with the shipping crisis.
British officials say they have no good military options, especially because the tanker is in a secure Iranian port with a heavy military presence. Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood on Sunday reiterated calls for a tamping down of tensions.
“Well, firstly we need to try and de-escalate this,” he told Sky News. “There has been a ratcheting up of tensions in the Middle East.”
Ellwood called the seizure “a hostile act” but conceded that the British Royal Navy “is too small to manage our interests across the globe” and that this would be an issue for the next prime minister to handle.
UK Deputy Defense Secretary says #Iran should be confronted, not only for threatening shipping lanes, but also proxy negative influence in #Syria, #Yemen, #Iraq, #Bahrain& #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/ABomRtcGnL
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) July 21, 2019
Britain
is adding to its military profile in the region but it does not have the naval
resources that would be needed to protect all of its shipping interests.
The
seizure of the British-flagged tanker is proving popular inside Iran.
In
Tehran, some 160 lawmakers issued a joint statement Sunday praising the
interception of the British-flagged vessel by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which
has released video of the seizure showing Iranian commandos in black ski masks
and fatigues rappelling from a helicopter onto the vessel.
Video of the #terrorist #IRGC #Navy Aviation and Special Forces hijacking the #British #tanker Stena Impero in the #StraitOfHormuz on Friday
International community must protect ships from these pirates#BaghdadPost #IranWar #TerrorismOfIran #IranRegimeChange pic.twitter.com/loPEnqqiE9
— The Baghdad Post (@BaghdadPostPlus) July 20, 2019
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif used the opening session of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) forum in Venezuela on Saturday to blast US foreign policy under Trump.
“A new wave of extreme one-sided adventurism from the United States is the main theme and the challenge that we all face in one way or another,” he said. “It’s threatening peace and stability all around the world in different ways.”
At the same time, Britain is gaining support among its traditional European allies. Germany’s foreign minister warned Iran that its seizure of commercial vessels is contributing to an “escalation spiral” that could lead to war.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was quoted Sunday in the Bild newspaper as saying the seizure of the British tanker and the temporary detention of another has made the situation in the Gulf “a lot more serious and dangerous than it has been.” He said European efforts are focused on keeping diplomatic channels open with “voices of reason” despite the challenges involved.
“This is about preventing war,” he said.
