Tasnim – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country’s military forces captured a British-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz to “uphold international maritime rules”.

“Unlike the piracy in the Strait of Gibraltar, our action in the Persian Gulf is to uphold int'l maritime rules. As I said in NY, it is IRAN that guarantees the security of the Persian Gulf & the Strait of Hormuz. UK must cease being an accessory to #EconomicTerrorism of the US,” Zarif tweeted on Saturday.

The tanker was captured by the Iranian military forces for three cases of violation of maritime law when it was passing through the high-traffic Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening.

The UK vessel had switched off its GPS locator, in contravention of international regulations, and was sailing into the strait in a wrong traffic pattern.

The British tanker was entering the strait from the southern route, which is an exit path, increasing the risk of an accident

Moreover, Stena Impero had not heeded any of the warnings from the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization.

An informed source said the UK oil tanker was also polluting the Persian Gulf water heavily by dumping crude oil residue.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy captured the British oil tanker on Friday evening at the request of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran’s office in the province of Hormozgan.

The oil tanker has been transferred to the Iranian coast for the necessary legal procedures.