A senior Iranian official said on Friday that Tehran should seize a British oil vessel in case London refuses to release the Iranian oil tanker detained in Gibraltar.
On Thursday, British Royal Marines helped officials in Gibraltar to seize an Iranian supertanker “Grace 1” suspected of carrying oil to Syria, “in breach of EU sanctions”.
Iran later summoned the British ambassador to Tehran Rob Macaire to complain about what it said was a “form of piracy”, Press TV reported.
“If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities’ duty to make a reciprocal move and seize a British oil tanker,” said Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a member of a council that advises the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, in a tweet. He said that “Iran will never hesitate to respond to bullies”.
