{"id":38676,"date":"2019-07-12T16:54:37","date_gmt":"2019-07-12T16:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/12\/london-sending-warship-to-the-persian-gulf\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:02:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:02:50","slug":"london-sending-warship-to-the-persian-gulf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/07\/12\/london-sending-warship-to-the-persian-gulf\/","title":{"rendered":"London sending warship to the Persian Gulf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TEHRAN, Iran \u2014 Iran on Friday demanded the British navy release an Iranian oil tanker seized last week off Gibraltar, accusing London of playing a \u201cdangerous game\u201d and threatening retribution, while London announced it was sending a destroyer to the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comments from Iran’s Foreign Ministry came the day after police in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain, said they arrested the captain and chief officer of the supertanker suspected of breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told Iranian state news agency IRNA that “the legal pretexts for the capture are not valid … the release of the tanker is in all countries’ interest.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is a dangerous game and has consequences,” Mousavi warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Friday prayers, Kazem Sedighi, an adviser to Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>, threatened retribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Rest assured, Britons will soon feel the slap of the powerful hands of the Islamic Republic,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This undated Ministry of Defence handout shows the Type 45 destroyer Duncan, which will relieve the guided-missile frigate Montrose in the region as Iran threatens to disrupt shipping. (Stu Hill\/Ministry of Defence via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The British navy said Thursday it had stopped three Iranian paramilitary vessels from disrupting the passage of a British oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard denied any incident had occurred in the strait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That brief but tense standoff is believed to have stemmed from the British seizure of the Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on July 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, the British Ministry of Defense said it was moving up its timetable for relieve the Type 23 frigate Montrose,<\/a> which is operating in the Persian Gulf, with the larger Type 45 destroyer Duncan<\/a> in the wake of the recent developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This will ensure that the UK alongside international partners can continue to support freedom of navigation for vessels transiting through this vital shipping lane,” the ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt<\/a> called for \u201ccool heads\u201d to prevail to ensure there is no \u201cunintended escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We are being clear to Iran that we are not seeking to escalate this situation,” he said, adding that the British response had been “measured and careful.”<\/p>\n\n\n\t