“The seizure of the Iranian oil tanker was deliberate and without a real reason. There have been attempts by Iran and the Ports Organisation to free this ship,” Jalil Eslami, deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, told a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, state-run IRNA reports.
“Britain had expressed interest in resolving this problem and documents that could help resolve this dispute have been exchanged,” Eslami said.
“We hope that this dispute is resolved in the near future and this ship can set sail with an Iranian flag,” he added.
British Royal Marines impounded the Grace 1 on July 4 at the request of Gibraltar authorities for allegedly smuggling two million barrels of Iranian oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Gibraltar’s Supreme Court extended the detention period on July 19. It is due to expire this week.
A spokesman for the Government of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, told Rudaw in an email the detention order expires on Saturday night. However, there may be a court hearing before then.
“We continue to seek to de-escalate issues arising since the lawful detention of Grace 1,” the spokesman said.
HMS Kent accompanied by Royal Marine commandos set sail from Portsmouth on Monday and is expected to arrive in the Persian Gulf in late August, where it will relieve HMS Duncan currently patrolling the Strait of Hormuz alongside HMS Montrose.
Tensions between the UK and Iran have escalated since the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the British flagged Stena Impero on July 19 in retaliation for the Grace 1.
The security situation in the Strait of Hormuz is highly volatile with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accusing the US government of turning the region into a “tinderbox ready to blow up”.
However, the IRGC has continued to harass merchant ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to further exacerbate the situation.
Almost one fifth of world’s oil – 17.4 million barrels per day – is exported through the strategic strait.
“I’ve had 85 interactions with Iranian forces over the last 27 days – so that gives you some idea of the intensity,” William King, the commanding officer aboard HMS Montrose, told BBC Radio 4 in late July.
US National Security Advisor John Bolton arrived in London on Monday for talks with Britain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Topping the agenda were Brexit, Huawei, and Iran.
Bolton said he was “pleased” with the new government’s willingness to participate in Operation Sentinel as this reflected “a change from the prior government.” However, Bolton said serious discussions on how to deal with Iran could wait until after the UK leaves the European Union – now expected to take place on October 31.
Operation Sentinel is the US Central Command effort to “promote maritime stability, ensure safe passage, and de-escalate tensions in international waters throughout the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb strait, and the Gulf of Oman,” according to the Pentagon.
One senior US Navy commander aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln strike carrier group in the northern Arabian Sea told CNBC on Monday the main reason why the US is building up its naval hardware in the Persian Gulf is for deterrence rather than war.
“Our goal is not to go to war with Iran. Our deterrence seeks to add to stability in the region, freedom of movement, and trade,” air wing commander Capt. William Reed said.
Iran says the US is the main cause of instability in the Persian Gulf and the regional powers should be tasked with maintaining security of the Strait of Hormuz.
