Iranian boats in bid to seize UK tanker in the Gulf: Officials - Al Jazeera English

Three Iranian vessels unsuccessfully tried to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom has said.

The British government said in a statement on Thursday that the Iranian ships on Wednesday only turned away after receiving "verbal warnings" from a UK navy vessel accompanying the commercial vessel British Heritage.

"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to deescalate the situation in the region," the statement said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected the accusation, according to Fars news agency.

"Apparently the British tanker has passed. What they have said themselves and the claims that have been made are for creating tension and these claims have no value," he said.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also denied involvement in the incident, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, two US officials told Reuters news agency that five boats believed to belong to the Guards were involved in the incident.

"The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed its guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed," one of the officials with the knowledge of the incident said.

"It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage," the other official said.

The US military confirmed the incident in a statement but did not share any further details.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi, reporting from Tehran, said it was not clear whether Iran was carrying out a probing attack or "a rogue group of military on the ground".

"The fact is that while this is possible, it is unlikely," he said.

"Commanding control structures not only in the civilian government but especially in the military government and especially in the IRGC is very linear and it is unlikely that anything like this would have happened without clear directives through commanding officers, through linear lines of ranks," he added.

Can Europe save the Iran nuclear deal?

Tensions in the region

The incident came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday warned that the UK would face "repercussions" for seizing an Iranian oil tanker last week off the coast of Gibraltar.

The British government said the tanker was believed to be carrying two million barrels of crude oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Tehran denied that the tanker was bound for Syria and its seizure as "piracy". It also summoned the British envoy in Iran to protest against the action.

Iran denied the tanker was headed to Syria, a close ally of Tehran, while Iranian President  said Britain would face "consequences" over the tanker seizure.

Tensions between Iran and the US and its allies have risen sharply since Washington last year unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal signed between Tehran  and world powers in 2015.

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump has stepped up economic sanctions against Iran and moved to bring the country's oil exports to zero as part of a "maximum pressure" policy to make it halt actions that it said undermined regional security.

Iran has responded to the sanctions by starting to exceed limits put on its nuclear activities under the 2015 deal.

Iran: World powers won't get a better nuclear deal

Trump, who has said he will not allow Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons, said on Wednesday that "Iran has long been secretly enriching uranium".

Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, says its latest measures were within the framework of the deal and dubbed the US sanctions "economic terrorism".

Several oil tankers were attacked in waters near Iran's southern coast in May and June, for which the US blamed Iran. Tehran denied any involvement.

Last month, Iran shot down a US drone near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Trump to order retaliatory air raid, only to call them off at the last minute.

On Tuesday, the US said it was working to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.

Squeezed by sanctions, Iran has delivered threats to disrupt oil flow through the strategic Strait. Last year, an IRGC commander had threatened to block all exports through the Strait if their exports were stopped.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/iranian-boats-bid-seize-uk-tanker-gulf-officials-190711020919585.html

2019-07-11 08:49:00Z
CAIiEDYfShPQvm-UbMQvU5g4u54qFAgEKgwIACoFCAowhgIwkDgw0O8B

Iranian boats in bid to seize UK tanker in the Gulf: Officials - Al Jazeera English

Three Iranian vessels unsuccessfully tried to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom has said.

The British government said in a statement on Thursday that the Iranian ships on Wednesday only turned away after receiving "verbal warnings" from a UK navy vessel accompanying the commercial vessel British Heritage.

"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to deescalate the situation in the region," the statement said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected the accusation, according to Fars news agency.

"Apparently the British tanker has passed. What they have said themselves and the claims that have been made are for creating tension and these claims have no value," he said.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also denied involvement in the incident, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, two US officials told Reuters news agency that five boats believed to belong to the Guards were involved in the incident.

"The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed its guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed," one of the officials with the knowledge of the incident said.

"It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage," the other official said.

The US military confirmed the incident in a statement but declined to share any further details of the incident that comes a week after an Iranian oil tanker believed to be headed to Syria was seized by British Royal Marines off Gibraltar.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi, reporting from Tehran, said it was not clear whether Iran was carrying out a probing attack or "a rogue group of military on the ground".

"The fact is that while this is possible, it is unlikely," he said.

"Commanding control structures not only in the civilian government but especially in the military government and especially in the IRGC is very linear and it is unlikely that anything like this would have happened without clear directives through commanding officers, through linear lines of ranks," he added.

Can Europe save the Iran nuclear deal?

Tensions in the region

Iran denied the tanker was headed to Syria, a close ally of Tehran, while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Britain would face "consequences" over the tanker seizure.

"We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy's FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz," the US military's Central Command said in a statement.

Tensions between Iran and the US and its allies have risen sharply since Washington last year unilaterally withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers in 2015.

Since then, the Trump administration has stepped up economic sanctions against Iran and moved to bring the country's oil exports to zero as part of a "maximum pressure" policy to make Iran halt actions that it said undermined regional security.

Iran has responded to the sanctions by starting to exceed limits put on its nuclear activities under the nuclear deal.

Iran: World powers won't get a better nuclear deal

US President Donald Trump, who has said he will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, said on Wednesday that "Iran has long been secretly enriching uranium".

Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, says its latest measures were within the framework of the deal and dubbed the US sanctions "economic terrorism".

Several oil tankers were attacked in waters near Iran's southern coast in May and June, for which the US blamed Iran. Tehran denied any involvement.

Iran squeezed by sanctions has delivered threats to disrupt oil flow through the strategic Strait. Last year, an  Revolutionary Guards commander had threatened to block all exports through the Strait if their exports were stopped.

Last month, Iran shot down a US drone near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Trump to order retaliatory air raid, only to call them off at the last minute.

On Tuesday, the US said it was working to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-07-11 08:33:00Z
CAIiEDYfShPQvm-UbMQvU5g4u54qFAgEKgwIACoFCAowhgIwkDgw0O8B

Iranian boats attempted to seize UK tanker in the Gulf: UK - Al Jazeera English

Three Iranian vessels unsuccessfully tried to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom has said.

The British government said in a statement on Thursday that the Iranian ships on Wednesday only turned away after receiving "verbal warnings" from a UK navy vessel accompanying the commercial vessel British Heritage.

"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to deescalate the situation in the region," the statement said.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected the accusation, according to Fars news agency.

"Apparently the British tanker has passed. What they have said themselves and the claims that have been made are for creating tension and these claims have no value," he said.

The Iran's Revolutionary Guards also denied involvement in the incident, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, two US officials told Reuters news agency that five boats believed to belong to the Guards were involved in the incident.

"The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed its guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed," one of the officials with the knowledge of the incident said.

"It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage," the other official said.

The US military confirmed the incident in a statement but declined to share any further details of the incident that comes a week after an Iranian oil tanker believed to be headed to Syria was seized by British Royal Marines off Gibraltar.

Al Jazeera's Zein Basravi, reporting from Tehran, said it was not clear whether Iran was carrying out a probing attack or "a rogue group of military on the ground".

"The fact is that while this is possible, it is unlikely," he said.

"Commanding control structures not only in the civilian government but especially in the military government and especially in the IRGC is very linear and it is unlikely that anything like this would have happened without clear directives through commanding officers, through linear lines of ranks," he added, referring to the Guards.

Tensions in the region

Iran denied the tanker was headed to Syria, a close ally of Tehran, while Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Britain would face "consequences" over the tanker seizure.

"We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy's FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz," the US military's Central Command said in a statement.

Tensions between Iran and the US and its allies have risen sharply since Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal last year.

Since then, the Trump administration has stepped up economic sanctions against Iran and moved to bring the country's oil exports to zero as part of a "maximum pressure" policy to make Iran halt actions that it said undermined regional security.

Iran has responded to the sanctions by starting to breach limits put on its nuclear activities under the nuclear deal with world powers.

'Economic terrorism'

US President Donald Trump, who has said he will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, said on Wednesday that "Iran has long been secretly enriching uranium".

Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, says its latest measures were within the framework of the deal and dubbed the US sanctions "economic terrorism".

Several oil tankers were attacked in waters near Iran's southern coast in May and June, for which the US blamed Iran. Tehran denied any involvement.

Iran squeezed by sanctions has delivered threats to disrupt oil flow through the strategic Strait. Last year a Revolutionary Guards commander had threatened to block all exports through the Strait if their exports were stopped.

Last month, Iran shot down a US drone near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Trump to order retaliatory air strikes, only to call them off.

On Tuesday, the US said it was working to form a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-07-11 08:21:00Z
CAIiEDYfShPQvm-UbMQvU5g4u54qFAgEKgwIACoFCAowhgIwkDgw0O8B

Iranian boats 'tried to intercept British tanker' - BBC News

Iranian boats tried to impede a British oil tanker near the Gulf - before being driven off by a Royal Navy ship, the Ministry of Defence has said.

HMS Montrose moved between the three boats and the tanker British Heritage before issuing verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, a spokesman said.

He described the Iranians' actions as "contrary to international law".

Iran had threatened to retaliate for the seizure of one of its own tankers, but denied any attempted seizure.

Boats believed to belong to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) approached the British Heritage tanker and tried to bring it to a halt as it was moving out of the Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz.

Guns on HMS Montrose, the British frigate escorting the tanker, were reportedly trained on the Iranian boats as they were ordered to back off. They heeded the warning and no shots were fired.

The BBC has been told British Heritage was near the island of Abu Musa when it was approached and harassed by the Iranian boats.

Although the island is in disputed territorial waters, HMS Montrose remained in international waters throughout.

A UK government spokesman said: "Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.

"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."

What does Iran say?

Quoting the public relations office of the IRGC's Navy, the Fars news agency said, in a tweet, the IRGC "denies claims by American sources" that it tried to seize British Heritage.

"There has been no confrontation in the last 24 hours with any foreign vessels, including British ones," the IRGC added, according to the AFP news agency.

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the UK made the claims "for creating tension".

"These claims have no value," Mr Zarif added, according to Fars.

Why are UK-Iran tensions escalating?

The relationship between the UK and Iran has become increasingly strained, after Britain said the Iranian regime was "almost certainly" responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in June.

Last week, British Royal Marines helped the authorities in Gibraltar seize an Iranian oil tanker because of evidence it was heading to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

In response, an Iranian official said a British oil tanker should be seized if its detained ship was not released.

Iran also summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to complain about what it said was a "form of piracy".

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani mocked the UK, calling it "scared" and "hopeless" for using Royal Navy warships to shadow a British tanker in the Gulf.

HMS Montrose had shadowed British tanker the Pacific Voyager for some of the way through the Strait of Hormuz, but that journey had passed without incident.

"You, Britain, are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later," Mr Rouhani said.

The UK has also been pressing Iran to release British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted for spying, which she denies.

Could things get worse?

Iran appears to have been attempting to make good on its threat against British-flagged vessels in the wake of the seizure of an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar.

But though this incident has a specifically bilateral dimension, it is also a powerful reminder that the tensions in the Gulf have not gone away.

And with every sign that the dispute over the nuclear agreement with Iran is set to continue, things may only get worse.

The episode may add some impetus to US-brokered efforts to muster an international naval force in the Gulf to protect international shipping.

But most worrying of all, it shows that elements within the Iranian system - the Revolutionary Guard Corps's naval arm, or whatever - are intent on stoking the pressure.

This inevitably plays into President Trump's hands as Britain and its key European partners struggle to keep the nuclear agreement alive.

What about US-Iran relations?

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The US has blamed Iran for attacks on six oil tankers in May and June.

The chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, on Wednesday, it wants to create an multi-national military coalition to safeguard waters around Iran and Yemen.

The Trump administration - which has pulled out of an international agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme - has reinforced punishing sanctions against Iran.

Its European allies, including the UK, have not followed suit.

Iran's ambassador to the UN has insisted Europeans must do more to compensate Tehran for economic losses inflicted by US sanctions - otherwise Iranians will continue to exceed limits on their nuclear fuel production.

• Iran-US tensions: What's going on?
• Trumplomacy: What's the US endgame in Iran?

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48946051

2019-07-11 07:05:16Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay00ODk0NjA1MdIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNDg5NDYwNTE

Iranian boats 'tried to intercept British tanker' - BBC News

Iranian boats tried to impede a British oil tanker near the Gulf - before being driven off by a Royal Navy ship, the Ministry of Defence has said.

HMS Montrose moved between the three boats and the tanker British Heritage before issuing verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, a spokesman said.

He described the Iranians' actions as "contrary to international law".

Iran had threatened to retaliate for the seizure of one of its own tankers, but denied any attempted seizure.

Boats believed to belong to Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) approached the British Heritage tanker and tried to bring it to a halt as it was moving out of the Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz.

Guns on HMS Montrose, the British frigate escorting the tanker, were reportedly trained on the Iranian boats as they were ordered to back off. They heeded the warning and no shots were fired.

The BBC has been told British Heritage was near the island of Abu Musa when it was approached and harassed by the Iranian boats.

Although the island is in disputed territorial waters, HMS Montrose remained in international waters throughout.

A UK government spokesman said: "Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.

"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."

What does Iran say?

Quoting the public relations office of the IRGC's Navy, the Fars news agency said, in a tweet, the IRGC "denies claims by American sources" that it tried to seize British Heritage.

"There has been no confrontation in the last 24 hours with any foreign vessels, including British ones," the IRGC added, according to the AFP news agency.

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the UK made the claims "for creating tension".

"These claims have no value," Mr Zarif added, according to Fars.

Why are UK-Iran tensions escalating?

The relationship between the UK and Iran has become increasingly strained, after Britain said the Iranian regime was "almost certainly" responsible for the attacks on two oil tankers in June.

Last week, British Royal Marines helped the authorities in Gibraltar seize an Iranian oil tanker because of evidence it was heading to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

In response, an Iranian official said a British oil tanker should be seized if its detained ship was not released.

Iran also summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to complain about what it said was a "form of piracy".

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani mocked the UK, calling it "scared" and "hopeless" for using Royal Navy warships to shadow a British tanker in the Gulf.

HMS Montrose had shadowed British tanker the Pacific Voyager for some of the way through the Strait of Hormuz, but that journey had passed without incident.

"You, Britain, are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later," Mr Rouhani said.

The UK has also been pressing Iran to release British-Iranian mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted for spying, which she denies.

Could things get worse?

Iran appears to have been attempting to make good on its threat against British-flagged vessels in the wake of the seizure of an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar.

But though this incident has a specifically bilateral dimension, it is also a powerful reminder that the tensions in the Gulf have not gone away.

And with every sign that the dispute over the nuclear agreement with Iran is set to continue, things may only get worse.

The episode may add some impetus to US-brokered efforts to muster an international naval force in the Gulf to protect international shipping.

But most worrying of all, it shows that elements within the Iranian system - the Revolutionary Guard Corps's naval arm, or whatever - are intent on stoking the pressure.

This inevitably plays into President Trump's hands as Britain and its key European partners struggle to keep the nuclear agreement alive.

What about US-Iran relations?

Media playback is unsupported on your device

The US has blamed Iran for attacks on six oil tankers in May and June.

The chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, on Wednesday, it wants to create an multi-national military coalition to safeguard waters around Iran and Yemen.

The Trump administration - which has pulled out of an international agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme - has reinforced punishing sanctions against Iran.

Its European allies, including the UK, have not followed suit.

Iran's ambassador to the UN has insisted Europeans must do more to compensate Tehran for economic losses inflicted by US sanctions - otherwise Iranians will continue to exceed limits on their nuclear fuel production.

• Iran-US tensions: What's going on?
• Trumplomacy: What's the US endgame in Iran?

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48946051

2019-07-11 07:02:18Z
CBMiJGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay00ODk0NjA1MdIBKGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy9hbXAvdWstNDg5NDYwNTE

Britain's new $3.8 billion aircraft carrier just sprang a leak - CNN International

The $3.8 billion warship, the future flagship of the Royal Navy's fleet, had set out from Portsmouth last month for the trials.

"Following a minor issue with an internal system on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the ship's company were required to remove a small volume of water from the ship," a Royal Navy spokesperson said. "An investigation into the cause is underway."

Some reports in British media attributed the leak to a burst high-pressure sea water pipe that damaged a stairwell and split deck plates.

But the Royal Navy said the ship's hull was not damaged, and all the water was removed.

The 65,000-ton aircraft carrier would have been returning to its Portsmouth base later this week for planned maintenance this week anyway and the early return was just precautionary, the Royal Navy said.

The Queen Elizabeth had undergone an extensive inspection and had maintenance performed in a dry dock in May, according to a Royal Navy release.

"During her time out of the water, 284 hull valves were changed, both rudder blades were removed and cleaned, her sea inlet pipes were inspected, all sacrificial anodes were replaced and a renewed coat of anti-foul paint was applied to the ship's bottom," the release said.

That successful inspection meant another would not be needed for six years, the Royal Navy said.

The ship is scheduled to go to the United States later this year for trials with Britain's F-35B fighter jets, which will form the bulk of the ship's air wing when it becomes fully operational next year.

The Royal Navy calls the Queen Elizabeth, and its still-under-construction twin HMS Prince of Wales, "the largest and most advanced warships ever built for the Royal Navy."

CNN's Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.

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2019-07-11 06:23:00Z
CBMiV2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNubi5jb20vMjAxOS8wNy8xMS9ldXJvcGUvYnJpdGFpbi1haXJjcmFmdC1jYXJyaWVyLWxlYWstaW50bC1obmsvaW5kZXguaHRtbNIBW2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmNubi5jb20vY25uLzIwMTkvMDcvMTEvZXVyb3BlL2JyaXRhaW4tYWlyY3JhZnQtY2Fycmllci1sZWFrLWludGwtaG5rL2luZGV4Lmh0bWw

Iranian boats attempted to seize British tanker - CNN

The British Heritage tanker was sailing out of the Persian Gulf and was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area when it was approached by the Iranian boats. The Iranians ordered the tanker to change course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters, according to the officials. A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident, though CNN has not seen the footage.

The UK's Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had been escorting the tanker from the rear. It trained its deck guns on the Iranians and gave them a verbal warning to back away, which they did. Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats. UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a "maritime security role."

In a statement, the UK's Ministry of Defense said that "contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz."

"HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away," the statement said. "We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."

The incident is yet another flashpoint in a series of maritime episodes involving Iran, coming less than a week after British Royal Marines stormed an Iranian ship that was suspected of carrying oil to Syria. Just last month, tensions between the US and Iran escalated into a military standoff after an American drone was shot down by Iran over the Straight of Hormuz.

At the same time, concerns are rising in Europe and the United States after Iran began increasing uranium enrichment after saying it would no longer comply with the nuclear agreement it signed in 2015. The US pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018 and reintroduced economic sanctions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned earlier Wednesday that the UK "will see the consequences" after Gibraltar officials and UK Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker bound for Syria last week, according to Rouhani's press office.

Rouhani, speaking in a cabinet session, said, "I tell the British that they are the initiator of insecurity and you will understand its consequences later."

US working to strengthen maritime security in region

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that the US and its allies were working to put together a coalition of countries to come up with a system to enforce freedom of navigation in the region amid what the US says are heightened threats from Iran.

"We had a discussion today, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and I and we are engaging now with a number of countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb," Dunford said following an awards ceremony for his Finnish counterpart.

"I think what we'll do is, we certainly from the United States perspective would provide maritime domain awareness and surveillance," he said, adding that naval vessels would escort commercial ships that shared a country of origin, if required.

"Escorting in the normal course of events would be done by countries who have the same flag so a ship that is flagged by a particular country would be escorted by that country and I think what the United States can provide is domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and then coordination and patrols for other ships that would be in the area would be largely coalition ships," Dunford said.

Heightened tensions

The alleged Iranian attempt to seize the British tanker comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Earlier on Wednesday President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that sanctions on Iran will "soon be increased, substantially!" following news that Iran was enriching uranium beyond the limits imposed by the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Last month Trump halted plans for a military strike against Iran in retaliation for the shooting down of a US drone, Trump said he found it hard to believe it had been an "intentional" act. "I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it," Trump said in the Oval Office on June 20.

The Trump administration has argued that the nuclear deal it abandoned in 2018, is inadequate as it doesn't cover Iran's ballistic missiles or regional activities.

Even though the International Atomic Energy Agency has found that Iran has complied with the deal, the US has re-imposed all sanctions in place before the deal and added new ones. Those actions have undermined the central concept of the deal -- that in exchange for controls on its nuclear program, Iran would see some economic relief.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted Wednesday that the US has no standing to raise issues pertaining to the multilateral deal, due to the Trump administration's earlier decision to exit he deal.

US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told CNN Tuesday that the US is "looking for a new and better deal" to submit to the Senate as a treaty.

CNN's Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/10/politics/iran-attempted-seize-british-tanker/index.html

2019-07-11 05:16:00Z
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