Via - Dailymail
Military chiefs will this week brief Britain’s new Prime Minister on the mounting Iran crisis and tell him: ‘Send in the Marines’.
After the dramatic hijacking of the Stena Impero oil tanker carrying 23 crew by Iranian Special Forces, top brass were last night devising a list of options for a rapid military response.
It is understood they will seek the green light to deploy Royal Marines on British vessels travelling through the Strait of Hormuz to act as a deterrent to further aggression.
The involvement of the elite Iranian troops in the capture of the Stena Impero was broadcast on Iranian state television yesterday.
Its release came dur
ing a day of drama which saw the Iranian charge d’affaires in London summoned to the Foreign Office and another meeting of Cobra, the UK Government’s emergency coordination committee, to discuss the rapidly escalating crisis.
ing a day of drama which saw the Iranian charge d’affaires in London summoned to the Foreign Office and another meeting of Cobra, the UK Government’s emergency coordination committee, to discuss the rapidly escalating crisis.
Iran had earlier released a propaganda video showing the moment Iranian Revolutionary Guard commandos drop from a helicopter to hijack a British tanker.
Footage shows troops wearing ski masks and carrying machine guns rappelling to the deck of the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero from their aircraft last night.
It comes as Jeremy Hunt expressed his 'extreme disappointment' in the regime. He explained that any measures to be taken over Iran’s seizure of the British-flagged tanker in the Gulf will be announced in Parliament on Monday.
The UK foreign secretary wrote on Twitter: 'Just spoke to Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and expressed extreme disappointment that having assured me last Saturday that Iran wanted to deescalate situation they have behaved in the opposite way.'
A defence source revealed today that a Royal Navy warship raced to help the vessel but arrived ten minutes too late.
HMS Montrose, which was patrolling the Persian Gulf, was forced to do a U-turn when it received orders to assist the UK-flagged Stena Impero, which had been seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Stena Impero was still in Omani waters when the orders were sent, but by the time HMS Montrose arrived the vessel had been taken and redirected into Iranian territorial waters. It's claimed the Iranians were ready to 'engage' the Type 23 frigate.
Iran's seizure of the British ships was a deliberate act of provocation because the ships were in international waters.
The action prompted a late night meeting of the COBRA emergency security committee chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May.
In a new propaganda video issued by Iran's Revolutionary Guards today, speedboats pull up alongside the detained British-flagged tanker Stena Impero
The footage showed troops wearing ski masks and carrying machine guns (pictured) rappelling to its deck from a helicopter before capturing the British oil tanker last night
Troops drop down from a helicopter to hijack the British oil tanker last night, in revenge for the detention of Grace 1 earlier this month, which was captured by UK forces off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4
Jeremy Hunt (pictured leaving Downing Street today) expressed his 'extreme disappointment' in the regime. He explained that any measures to be taken over Iran’s seizure of the British-flagged tanker in the Gulf will be announced in Parliament on Monday
The UK foreign secretary wrote on Twitter: 'Just spoke to Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and expressed extreme disappointment that having assured me last Saturday that Iran wanted to deescalate situation they have behaved in the opposite way.'
Minister for the Cabinet Office David Lidington was among those attending crisis talks at Number 10 this afternoon
Mr Hunt said the Iranian actions yesterday raised 'very serious questions' about the security of British and international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Stena Impero, which is Swedish owned, had 23 crew on board consisting of 18 Indians, three Russians, a Latvian and a Filipino.
Almost one-third of the world's oil travels through the strait, which is only 21 nautical miles at its narrowest point, making it a strategic choke-point for international trade.
Mr Hunt stressed the UK-flagged tanker was in Omani waters when it was seized 'in clear contravention of international law'.
Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Mr Hunt that yesterday's seizure was a 'tit for tat' response for the detention of the Grace 1 in Gibraltar.
An image released by the Iran Students News Agency (ISNA), which is partially funded by the country's Government, claims to show the seized British tanker Stena Impero anchored in southern Iran
Speaking inside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office today, Mr Hunt said: 'Nothing could be further from the truth,' he said.
'Grace 1 was detained legally in Gibraltarian waters because it was carrying oil, against EU sanctions, to Syria, and that's why the Gibraltarian authorities acted totally with respect to due process and totally within the law.
'Stena Impero was seized in Omani waters in clear contravention of international law, it was then forced to sail into Iran.
'This is totally and utterly unacceptable. It raises very serious questions about the security of British shipping, and indeed international shipping, in the Strait of Hormuz.'
Mr Hunt said MPs would be updated about what 'further measures' the Government will take, on Monday, adding that the threat level had been raised to three.
'Our priority continues to be to find a way to de-escalate the situation.
'That's why I reached out to the Iranian foreign minister, that's why due process in Gibraltar continues.
'We need to see due process happening in Iran as well, we need to see the illegal seizing of a British flagged vessel reversed, we need that ship released, and we continue to be very concerned about the safety and welfare of the 23 crew members.'
Mr Hunt, according to The Telegraph, will address the Commons to announce a range of diplomatic and economic sanctions - including the seizure of assets - to force the Iranians to release the Stena Impero.
It is also claimed the UK could seek to prevail upon the European Union and United Nations to implement stiff sanctions which were lifted as part of the 2016 Iranian nuclear deal.
Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt described the incident as a 'hostile act' and told Sky News the frigate was 60 minutes away from being able to help.
Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May was in her constituency but was being kept informed of developments.
Former chief of defence staff Lord Richards said Britain was 'pretty limited' in what military action it could take without the support of allies such as America, should economic sanctions fail to resolve the situation.
But Mr Hunt said he had spoken to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the situation, and President Donald Trump said the US would be 'working with the UK'.
Germany and France have supported Britain by condemning the actions of the Iranian regime. Berlin has described the seizure as an 'unjustifiable intrusion' on shipping using the Persian Gulf.
A spokesman for the German foreign ministry said the ship and crew should be released immediately.
Both Paris and Berlin stressed the need to 'de-escalate' the situation in the Gulf.
The Foreign Office earlier summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires, Mohsen Omidzamani, following the incident.
Iran has directly linked the seizure of the vessel with Britain's role in detaining a tanker carrying Iranian oil earlier this month.
A spokesman for Iran's Guardian Council was quoted as saying 'the rule of reciprocal action is well known in international law' and that Tehran made the right decision in the face of an 'illegitimate economic war and seizure of oil tankers;.
The explanation, which contrasts with a suggestion on Friday night that the Stena Impero was 'violating international maritime rules' and had collided with a fishing boat, came as the UK Government warned British ships to stay away from the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian TV showed balaclava-clad commandos boarding the tanker from a helicopter.
Daily Mail
Iran Releases Video On How They Seized The British Tanker Stena Impero
Daily Mail
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