The Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said Tehran’s arguments about its recent capture of a British oil tanker are “much more right than those” of London, adding that Iran is taking care of the ecology in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Arguments cited by the Iranian side to explain its actions are much more convincing than vague references to the European Union’s sanction law that were used by the Gibraltar authorities with the United Kingdom’s backing at the moment of the arrest of a Panama-flagged tanker carrying Iranian oil,” said Ryabkov.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Friday that the British vessel named “Stena Impero” had been impounded “at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organization when passing through the Strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said the country’s military forces captured the British-flagged oil tanker to “uphold international maritime rules”.
The vessel had switched off its GPS locator, in contravention of international regulations, and was sailing into the strait in a wrong traffic pattern.
It was entering the strait from the southern route, which is an exit path, increasing the risk of an accident
Moreover, Stena Impero had not heeded any of the warnings from the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization.
An informed source said the UK oil tanker was also polluting the Persian Gulf water heavily by dumping crude oil residue.
Source: Mehr News Agency
