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(Breaking news) Iran Seizes Brit Tanker
- Thread starter yinyang
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Iran crisis: Now furious Germany threatens to torpedo Euro alliance in Strait of Hormuz
GERMANY has threatened to abandon support for European-allies including Britain in Iran following a sudden change in policy.
Berlin has warned the UK it will “not subscribe” to the aggressive strategy adopted by Washington in the Gulf - which has been endorsed by newly appointment Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Mr Raab has dismantled his predecessors proposals for a European-led naval task force in the region and insisted it will not be “viable” without the backing of US President Donald Trump. The Foreign Secretary told The Times: “I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game. “I think we do want to see a European-led approach, but that doesn’t seem to me to be viable without American support as well.”
The change in tactic in the treacherous region by the Foreign Office has been met with anger by Germany and France.
German foreign minister, Heiko Maas said: “We have made clear that we do not subscribe to the United States’ policy of maximum pressure.
“Our efforts in the region must be recognisably European.”
Mr Hass added Germany will not embark on a military action unless there is “a clear idea of what such a mission would look like”
Meanwhile, France stated the European-led project would be "the opposite of the American initiative”.
Tehran has continued to ramp up hostility towards the West - on Wednesday US defence officials said Iran had tested a medium-range ballistic missile which travelled around 1,000 km (620 miles).
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also delivered a stern message to Europe and the US against intervention in the Gulf.
Mr Rouhani following a meeting the Oman's foreign minister in Tehran said: “The presence of foreign forces will not only not help the security of the region, but will be the main factor for tension.”
The Iranian leader instead Rouhani Iran and Oman had primary responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz.
Tensions soared in the Strait after following the seizure of a Britain-flagged tanker by Iranian authorities
Iranian officials said the Stena Impero had violated international shipping laws during its transit through the waters.
Britain has since deployed the Royal Navy warship HMS Duncan to the troubled region to help vessels pass through the Strait.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is vital not just to the UK, but also our international partners and allies. Merchant ships must be free to travel lawfully and trade safely, anywhere in the world. I'm pleased that HMS Duncan will continue HMS Montrose's fine work in helping to secure this essential route.
"While we continue to push for a diplomatic resolution that will make this possible again without military accompaniment, the Royal Navy will continue to provide a safeguard for UK vessels until this is the reality."
GERMANY has threatened to abandon support for European-allies including Britain in Iran following a sudden change in policy.
Berlin has warned the UK it will “not subscribe” to the aggressive strategy adopted by Washington in the Gulf - which has been endorsed by newly appointment Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. Mr Raab has dismantled his predecessors proposals for a European-led naval task force in the region and insisted it will not be “viable” without the backing of US President Donald Trump. The Foreign Secretary told The Times: “I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game. “I think we do want to see a European-led approach, but that doesn’t seem to me to be viable without American support as well.”
The change in tactic in the treacherous region by the Foreign Office has been met with anger by Germany and France.
German foreign minister, Heiko Maas said: “We have made clear that we do not subscribe to the United States’ policy of maximum pressure.
“Our efforts in the region must be recognisably European.”
Mr Hass added Germany will not embark on a military action unless there is “a clear idea of what such a mission would look like”
Meanwhile, France stated the European-led project would be "the opposite of the American initiative”.
Tehran has continued to ramp up hostility towards the West - on Wednesday US defence officials said Iran had tested a medium-range ballistic missile which travelled around 1,000 km (620 miles).
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has also delivered a stern message to Europe and the US against intervention in the Gulf.
Mr Rouhani following a meeting the Oman's foreign minister in Tehran said: “The presence of foreign forces will not only not help the security of the region, but will be the main factor for tension.”
The Iranian leader instead Rouhani Iran and Oman had primary responsibility for securing the Strait of Hormuz.
Tensions soared in the Strait after following the seizure of a Britain-flagged tanker by Iranian authorities
Iranian officials said the Stena Impero had violated international shipping laws during its transit through the waters.
Britain has since deployed the Royal Navy warship HMS Duncan to the troubled region to help vessels pass through the Strait.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is vital not just to the UK, but also our international partners and allies. Merchant ships must be free to travel lawfully and trade safely, anywhere in the world. I'm pleased that HMS Duncan will continue HMS Montrose's fine work in helping to secure this essential route.
"While we continue to push for a diplomatic resolution that will make this possible again without military accompaniment, the Royal Navy will continue to provide a safeguard for UK vessels until this is the reality."
Iran seizes third foreign ship in less than a month
TEHRAN: Iran has seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf, state media said on Sunday (Aug 4), in what would be the third such seizure in a month amid heightened tensions with its foe the United States.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "seized this ship around Farsi Island which was carrying around 700,000 litres of smuggled fuel", said a Guards statement quoted by the official news agency IRNA.
Seven foreign crew were arrested in the operation carried out on Wednesday night, said Fars news agency, which is considered close to the Guards.
Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the US have soared this year after Washington stepped up its campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran.
Ships have been attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized since May, a year after the United States withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and began reimposing biting sanctions against the country.
At the height of the crisis, US President Donald Trump called off air strikes against Iran at the last minute in June after the Islamic republic's forces shot down a US drone.
The seizure of the latest tanker would be the third by Iran in less than a month in Gulf waters - a conduit for much of the world's crude oil.
On Jul 18, the Guards said they had detained the Panama-flagged for MT Riah for alleged fuel smuggling.
And a day later, they announced they had impounded the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules".
The identity of the latest vessel seized and the nationality of its crew had not yet been revealed on Sunday.
But British officials later said all British-flagged vessels had been accounted for, and that there was no suggestion that any British nationals among the crew.
'TINDERBOX'
The Guards said their boats had been patrolling the Gulf to control traffic and detect illicit trade when they seized the tanker.
"The ship was transferred to Bushehr and its smuggled fuel was handed over" to the authorities in coordination with judicial authorities, said a statement.
Fars quoted Brigadier General Ramezan Zirahi, a commander of the Guards who carried out the seizure, as saying the tanker had been en route to deliver fuel to Gulf Arab states.
The reports came after an Iranian general said the chances of a conflict breaking out in the Gulf region had decreased.
"At first glance, it may seem that the situation in the Persian Gulf is heading towards a military conflict but when studying the situation more deeply, we see that chances for such a conflict become less probable," said Brigadier General Ahmadreza Pourdastan.
"All countries which have interests in the region are by no means willing to see a new crisis in the Middle East," he said, quoted by Mehr news agency.
"The Persian Gulf is like a tinderbox and explosion of the first firecracker can lead to a huge disaster."
'FAILURE STATION'
On the diplomatic front, officials in Iran said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had been hit with US sanctions after turning down an invitation to meet Trump in Washington.
The New Yorker magazine reported on Friday that Republican Senator Rand Paul met Zarif in the US on Jul 15 and had Trump's blessing when he extended an invitation to the Iranian minister to go to the White House.
Officials in Iran confirmed the report and heaped scorn on the Trump administration for claiming to want dialogue with Iran while slapping sanctions on its top diplomat.
The sanctions announced on Wednesday are aimed at freezing any of Zarif's assets in the United States or controlled by US entities, as well as squeeze his ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat.
"For a government to constantly claim (to favour) negotiations and afterwards sanction the foreign minister ... if this is not ridiculous, then what is it?" said foreign ministry spokesman Ali Rabiei.
Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the invitation and sanctions amounted to a failure of US diplomacy.
"Imposing sanctions on the honourable foreign minister of Iran after the refusal of Trump's proposal for face-to-face talks with him showed the 'maximum pressure' train has stopped at the 'failure station'," he said, quoted by ISNA news agency.
Trump has said publicly several times that he is willing to hold talks with the Iranians even as he lambasts Tehran as a corrupt, incompetent and dangerous regime that is a threat to regional security and US interests.
Source: AFP/de
TEHRAN: Iran has seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf, state media said on Sunday (Aug 4), in what would be the third such seizure in a month amid heightened tensions with its foe the United States.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "seized this ship around Farsi Island which was carrying around 700,000 litres of smuggled fuel", said a Guards statement quoted by the official news agency IRNA.
Seven foreign crew were arrested in the operation carried out on Wednesday night, said Fars news agency, which is considered close to the Guards.
Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the US have soared this year after Washington stepped up its campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran.
Ships have been attacked, drones downed and oil tankers seized since May, a year after the United States withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and began reimposing biting sanctions against the country.
At the height of the crisis, US President Donald Trump called off air strikes against Iran at the last minute in June after the Islamic republic's forces shot down a US drone.
The seizure of the latest tanker would be the third by Iran in less than a month in Gulf waters - a conduit for much of the world's crude oil.
On Jul 18, the Guards said they had detained the Panama-flagged for MT Riah for alleged fuel smuggling.
And a day later, they announced they had impounded the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules".
The identity of the latest vessel seized and the nationality of its crew had not yet been revealed on Sunday.
But British officials later said all British-flagged vessels had been accounted for, and that there was no suggestion that any British nationals among the crew.
'TINDERBOX'
The Guards said their boats had been patrolling the Gulf to control traffic and detect illicit trade when they seized the tanker.
"The ship was transferred to Bushehr and its smuggled fuel was handed over" to the authorities in coordination with judicial authorities, said a statement.
Fars quoted Brigadier General Ramezan Zirahi, a commander of the Guards who carried out the seizure, as saying the tanker had been en route to deliver fuel to Gulf Arab states.
The reports came after an Iranian general said the chances of a conflict breaking out in the Gulf region had decreased.
"At first glance, it may seem that the situation in the Persian Gulf is heading towards a military conflict but when studying the situation more deeply, we see that chances for such a conflict become less probable," said Brigadier General Ahmadreza Pourdastan.
"All countries which have interests in the region are by no means willing to see a new crisis in the Middle East," he said, quoted by Mehr news agency.
"The Persian Gulf is like a tinderbox and explosion of the first firecracker can lead to a huge disaster."
'FAILURE STATION'
On the diplomatic front, officials in Iran said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had been hit with US sanctions after turning down an invitation to meet Trump in Washington.
The New Yorker magazine reported on Friday that Republican Senator Rand Paul met Zarif in the US on Jul 15 and had Trump's blessing when he extended an invitation to the Iranian minister to go to the White House.
Officials in Iran confirmed the report and heaped scorn on the Trump administration for claiming to want dialogue with Iran while slapping sanctions on its top diplomat.
The sanctions announced on Wednesday are aimed at freezing any of Zarif's assets in the United States or controlled by US entities, as well as squeeze his ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat.
"For a government to constantly claim (to favour) negotiations and afterwards sanction the foreign minister ... if this is not ridiculous, then what is it?" said foreign ministry spokesman Ali Rabiei.
Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the invitation and sanctions amounted to a failure of US diplomacy.
"Imposing sanctions on the honourable foreign minister of Iran after the refusal of Trump's proposal for face-to-face talks with him showed the 'maximum pressure' train has stopped at the 'failure station'," he said, quoted by ISNA news agency.
Trump has said publicly several times that he is willing to hold talks with the Iranians even as he lambasts Tehran as a corrupt, incompetent and dangerous regime that is a threat to regional security and US interests.
Source: AFP/de
Iran seizes Iraqi oil tanker smuggling fuel in Gulf: TV
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...anker-smuggling-fuel-in-gulf-tv-idUSKCN1UU08Y
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Revolutionary Guards seized an Iraqi oil tanker in the Gulf which they said was smuggling fuel and detained seven crewmen, Iran’s state media reported on Sunday, in a show of power amid heightened tension with the West.
The vessel was intercepted near Iran’s Farsi Island in the Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said. The elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has a navy base on Farsi Island which is located north of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The IRGC’s naval forces have seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was smuggling fuel for some Arab countries,” the Guards commander Ramezan Zirahi told state TV.
The state news agency IRNA, quoting the Guards, said it was an Iraqi ship that was seized on Wednesday night in the Gulf.
Zirahi said it was carrying 700,000 liters of fuel, without elaborating on the nationalities of the detained crewmen.
“The boats of the IRGC navy were patrolling the area to control traffic and detect illicit trade when they seized the tanker,” Fars quoted Zirahi as saying, adding that the seizure was in coordination with Iran’s judicial authorities.
Iran, which has some of the world’s cheapest fuel prices due to heavy state subsidies and the fall of its currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
“The tanker was transferred to the Bushehr port, where its fuel was handed over to the authorities,” Zirahi told TV.
A spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said they had no information to confirm the media reports.
Iran’s English-language Press TV aired a video that it said “shows the process through which the IRGC have halted the ship and taken it into custody”. “The ship was seized in Iranian territorial waters and had been transporting diesel fuel,” it added.
Another oil tanker, the Panama-flagged MT Riah, was captured by the elite force last month for allegedly smuggling fuel.
Tensions have risen between Iran and the West since last year when the United States pulled out of an international agreement which curbed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions on Iran.
Fuelling fears of a Middle East war with global repercussions, the Guards seized British tanker Stena Impero near the Strait of Hormuz in July for alleged marine violations, two weeks after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar accused of violating sanctions on Syria.
MARITIME SECURITY
Angered by intensified U.S. sanctions designed to strangle its vital oil trade and the failure of Britain and European parties to the agreement to salvage the pact, Tehran has decreased its commitments to the nuclear deal.
Iran also has threatened to block all exports through the Strait, if countries heed U.S. calls to stop buying Iranian oil. One-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the Strait from Middle East crude producers to major markets.
“The Persian Gulf is like a tinderbox and explosion of a firecracker can lead to a huge disaster,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Guards commander Brigadier General Ahmadreza Pourdastan as saying on Sunday.
“All countries which have interests in the region absolutely are not willing to see a new regional crisis.”
A screen grab from video footage from Iran's state-run English language Press TV showing, according to the source, a foreign oil tanker smuggling fuel in the Gulf, taken from a video broadcasted on August 4, 2019. Press TV/Reuters TV via REUTERS
After several attacks in May and June on oil tankers - blamed by Washington on Tehran, which denied responsibility - Trump has been trying to forge a military coalition to secure Gulf waters, though European allies have been loath to join for fear of provoking open conflict.
European parties to the deal - Britain, France and Germany - have instead appealed for diplomatic moves to defuse the crisis and have been trying to salvage the pact by exploring ways to shield Iran’s economy from U.S. sanctions.
Tehran has called on them to accelerate their efforts or it will further decrease its commitments to the agreement.
Britain said on July 25 it had started sending a warship to accompany all British-flagged vessels through the Strait.
Iran has repeatedly said it will not allow any disturbance in shipping in the key oil transport waterway, claiming responsibility for the security of the Strait.
In an apparent bid to calm tensions in the Gulf, Shi’ite-dominated Iran has called for improving relations with its regional Sunni rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Last month, Iran and the UAE revived maritime security talks in Tehran that had been off since 2013. Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iranian and Qatari coast guards will meet to “improve maritime and border cooperation”.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...anker-smuggling-fuel-in-gulf-tv-idUSKCN1UU08Y
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Revolutionary Guards seized an Iraqi oil tanker in the Gulf which they said was smuggling fuel and detained seven crewmen, Iran’s state media reported on Sunday, in a show of power amid heightened tension with the West.
The vessel was intercepted near Iran’s Farsi Island in the Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said. The elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has a navy base on Farsi Island which is located north of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The IRGC’s naval forces have seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was smuggling fuel for some Arab countries,” the Guards commander Ramezan Zirahi told state TV.
The state news agency IRNA, quoting the Guards, said it was an Iraqi ship that was seized on Wednesday night in the Gulf.
Zirahi said it was carrying 700,000 liters of fuel, without elaborating on the nationalities of the detained crewmen.
“The boats of the IRGC navy were patrolling the area to control traffic and detect illicit trade when they seized the tanker,” Fars quoted Zirahi as saying, adding that the seizure was in coordination with Iran’s judicial authorities.
Iran, which has some of the world’s cheapest fuel prices due to heavy state subsidies and the fall of its currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.
“The tanker was transferred to the Bushehr port, where its fuel was handed over to the authorities,” Zirahi told TV.
A spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said they had no information to confirm the media reports.
Iran’s English-language Press TV aired a video that it said “shows the process through which the IRGC have halted the ship and taken it into custody”. “The ship was seized in Iranian territorial waters and had been transporting diesel fuel,” it added.
Another oil tanker, the Panama-flagged MT Riah, was captured by the elite force last month for allegedly smuggling fuel.
Tensions have risen between Iran and the West since last year when the United States pulled out of an international agreement which curbed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions on Iran.
Fuelling fears of a Middle East war with global repercussions, the Guards seized British tanker Stena Impero near the Strait of Hormuz in July for alleged marine violations, two weeks after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar accused of violating sanctions on Syria.
MARITIME SECURITY
Angered by intensified U.S. sanctions designed to strangle its vital oil trade and the failure of Britain and European parties to the agreement to salvage the pact, Tehran has decreased its commitments to the nuclear deal.
Iran also has threatened to block all exports through the Strait, if countries heed U.S. calls to stop buying Iranian oil. One-fifth of global oil consumption passes through the Strait from Middle East crude producers to major markets.
“The Persian Gulf is like a tinderbox and explosion of a firecracker can lead to a huge disaster,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Guards commander Brigadier General Ahmadreza Pourdastan as saying on Sunday.
“All countries which have interests in the region absolutely are not willing to see a new regional crisis.”
A screen grab from video footage from Iran's state-run English language Press TV showing, according to the source, a foreign oil tanker smuggling fuel in the Gulf, taken from a video broadcasted on August 4, 2019. Press TV/Reuters TV via REUTERS
After several attacks in May and June on oil tankers - blamed by Washington on Tehran, which denied responsibility - Trump has been trying to forge a military coalition to secure Gulf waters, though European allies have been loath to join for fear of provoking open conflict.
European parties to the deal - Britain, France and Germany - have instead appealed for diplomatic moves to defuse the crisis and have been trying to salvage the pact by exploring ways to shield Iran’s economy from U.S. sanctions.
Tehran has called on them to accelerate their efforts or it will further decrease its commitments to the agreement.
Britain said on July 25 it had started sending a warship to accompany all British-flagged vessels through the Strait.
Iran has repeatedly said it will not allow any disturbance in shipping in the key oil transport waterway, claiming responsibility for the security of the Strait.
In an apparent bid to calm tensions in the Gulf, Shi’ite-dominated Iran has called for improving relations with its regional Sunni rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Last month, Iran and the UAE revived maritime security talks in Tehran that had been off since 2013. Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iranian and Qatari coast guards will meet to “improve maritime and border cooperation”.
Iran says it could release UK-flagged tanker within days
A picture taken on Jul 21, 2019, shows Iranian Revolutionary Guards patrolling around the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero as it's anchored off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
09 Sep 2019 03:10AM
TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday (Sep 8) hinted that it could release "within days" a UK-flagged oil tanker it had seized in July in sensitive Gulf waters amid rising hostilities with Britain's ally the United States.
Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told state television the "necessary steps" to set the Swedish-owned ship free were "underway".
"The final steps of the legal procedure are underway and, God willing, the boat will be released in the coming days," he said, without giving further details
The seizure of the Stena Impero was seen as a tit-for-tat move after British authorities detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar in July on suspicion it was shipping oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.
Gibraltar released the ship - formerly called the Grace 1 but since renamed the Adrian Darya 1 - on Aug 18 after receiving written assurances from Iran that it would not head to countries under EU sanctions.
Tehran denied it had made any promises about the destination of the ship laden with 2.1 million barrels of oil, which had been elusive since leaving Gibraltar .
On Sunday, Mousavi said the Adrian Darya "has reached its destination and the oil has been sold", without providing further details.
Mousavi did not specify if the Adrian Darya had unloaded its cargo
"It is in the Mediterranean," he said, facing the coast of a country he did not name.
Iran last month said it had "sold the oil" aboard the tanker and that the owner will decide the destination, but it did not identify the buyer.
Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers said that as of Sunday night the Adrian Darya was off the coast of Syria's Tartus but had not unloaded the oil.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the Stena Impero on Jul 19 in the Strait of Hormuz with 23 crew members on board, claiming it broke "international maritime rules".
On Wednesday, the Swedish foreign ministry said that some of the crew had been released, after the vessel's owners said they expected seven to be set free on that day.
Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the US have soared ever since Washington stepped up its campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran and reimposed sanctions after leaving the landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year.
Source: AFP
A picture taken on Jul 21, 2019, shows Iranian Revolutionary Guards patrolling around the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero as it's anchored off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
09 Sep 2019 03:10AM
TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday (Sep 8) hinted that it could release "within days" a UK-flagged oil tanker it had seized in July in sensitive Gulf waters amid rising hostilities with Britain's ally the United States.
Foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told state television the "necessary steps" to set the Swedish-owned ship free were "underway".
"The final steps of the legal procedure are underway and, God willing, the boat will be released in the coming days," he said, without giving further details
The seizure of the Stena Impero was seen as a tit-for-tat move after British authorities detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar in July on suspicion it was shipping oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.
Gibraltar released the ship - formerly called the Grace 1 but since renamed the Adrian Darya 1 - on Aug 18 after receiving written assurances from Iran that it would not head to countries under EU sanctions.
Tehran denied it had made any promises about the destination of the ship laden with 2.1 million barrels of oil, which had been elusive since leaving Gibraltar .
On Sunday, Mousavi said the Adrian Darya "has reached its destination and the oil has been sold", without providing further details.
Mousavi did not specify if the Adrian Darya had unloaded its cargo
"It is in the Mediterranean," he said, facing the coast of a country he did not name.
Iran last month said it had "sold the oil" aboard the tanker and that the owner will decide the destination, but it did not identify the buyer.
Maritime tracking service TankerTrackers said that as of Sunday night the Adrian Darya was off the coast of Syria's Tartus but had not unloaded the oil.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the Stena Impero on Jul 19 in the Strait of Hormuz with 23 crew members on board, claiming it broke "international maritime rules".
On Wednesday, the Swedish foreign ministry said that some of the crew had been released, after the vessel's owners said they expected seven to be set free on that day.
Tensions between arch-enemies Iran and the US have soared ever since Washington stepped up its campaign of "maximum pressure" against Tehran and reimposed sanctions after leaving the landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year.
Source: AFP
Americas number 1 lackey is in middle east because? They are not reaping off the plundering but send troops. Brexit too free?
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