IRGC confiscates trespassing British oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Mehr News Agency – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that it has captured a British oil tanker for violating international maritime law while crossing into the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC’s Public Relations Department said in a statement on Friday that the vessel named “Stena Impero” had been confiscated “at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organization when passing through the Strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules,” Press TV reported. The oil tanker was transferred to the coast to undergo the required legal proceedings, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Reuters has reported that Britain is urgently seeking further information after a British-flagged tanker took a sudden turn into Iranian waters. The political editor of the Sunday Times said on Twitter that a meeting of the government’s emergency committee was taking place to investigate what had happened.

Reuters says that Refinitiv data showed the Stena Impero is a British-flagged vessel owned by Stena Bulk. Refinitiv data on its movements showed it had been en route to Jubail in Saudi Arabia. Another map tracking the location of the Stena Impero showed it making a sharp turn in the Strait of Hormuz, at the southern entrance to the Persian Gulf, and heading toward Iranian waters.

Earlier today, the IRGC dismissed US President Donald Trump‘s claim on downing an Iranian drone. The IRGC has released the related footage, refuting last night’s US claim.