Small Wars Journal

Iran Calls on Britain to Release Oil Tanker, Avoid ‘Dangerous and Unclear Game’

Sun, 07/14/2019 - 12:07am

Iran Calls on Britain to Release Oil Tanker, Avoid ‘Dangerous and Unclear Game’ by Erin Cunningham and Michael Birnbaum – Washington Post

Iran called on Britain on Friday to release an Iranian supertanker seized off the coast of ­Gibraltar last week, warning British authorities against playing a “dangerous and unclear” game.

“We call on [Britain] to release the oil tanker as soon as possible, because it would be in the interests of everyone,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.

He questioned the legal basis for the ship’s detention, which authorities in Gibraltar said was a lawful seizure. Gibraltar is a British territory, and Britain’s royal marines assisted in the operation to apprehend the vessel in the Mediterranean last week…

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