TEHRAN/PARIS/NEW DELHI: Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Friday they had seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules" as tensions mount in the highly sensitive waterway.
Britain, however, said Iran had seized two ships in the Gulf, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warning of "serious consequences" if the issue was not resolved quickly.
The British owner of one of the tankers, the Liberian-flagged Mesdar, said the ship had been temporarily boarded by armed personnel but was free to leave and that all crew were "safe and well."
The latest incidents came as President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the US military had downed an Iranian drone that was threatening an American naval vessel in the Strait of Hormuz - through which nearly a third of the world's oil is transported - despite denials from Tehran.
On Friday, the Stena Impero tanker "was confiscated for failing to respect international maritime rules," the Revolutionary Guards' official website Sepahnews said. The tanker "was led to the shore and handed over to the organisation to go through the legal procedure and required investigations," it said.
Tanker tracking service Marine Traffic showed that the Swedish-owned Stena Impero last signalled its location near the island of Larak at 9:00 PM local time. The ship was transiting the Strait of Hormuz and in "international waters" when it was "attacked by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter," the owner said. "We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now tracking as heading north towards Iran," a statement said.
Hunt said he was "extremely concerned" by the seizure of the two vessels. "We are absolutely clear that if this situation is not resolved quickly there will be serious consequences," he told Sky News.
The incident came hours after Gibraltar's Supreme Court said it would extend by 30 days the detention of an Iranian tanker seized two weeks ago on allegations that it was heading to Syria in violation of sanctions.
Hours before the latest incident, Iran and the United States were caught in a new war of words. Trump on Friday reiterated a claim that Washington destroyed an Iranian drone that was threatening the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied the allegation, and deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi tweeted that US forces may have shot down a US drone by mistake. The Revolutionary Guards released a video Friday which they said belies the US claims. The seven-minute-long footage, apparently shot from high altitude, shows a convoy of ships which the Guards said they were tracking as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The ships in the footage could not be immediately identified, although one was similar to the USS Boxer.
Earlier a US official said Washington has "very clear evidence" that it downed the drone, but gave no details.
The latest escalation comes more than a year after Washington unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and began ratcheting up sanctions against Tehran.
On Friday Trump spoke with French leader Emmanuel Macron, the White House said, with the leaders discussing "ongoing efforts to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon."
In the meanwhile, Britain and its Western allies have called for the release of the vessel, warning of the danger of escalation in the strategic waterway.
US President Donald Trump said he would hold talks with Britain about the tanker´s seizure by Iran´s Revolutionary Guards. "And this only goes to show what I´m saying about Iran: trouble. Nothing but trouble," he told reporters at the White House on Friday. He again denounced the 2015 deal between Iran and Western powers aimed at curbing Tehran´s nuclear ambitions, describing it as a "ridiculous agreement" made by his predecessor Barack Obama.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif "and expressed extreme disappointment that having assured me last Saturday Iran wanted to de-escalate situation they have behaved in the opposite way.
"This has to be about actions not words if we are to find a way through. British shipping must and will be protected," he tweeted.
The EU said the seizure was "of deep concern. "In an already tense situation, this development brings risks of further escalation and undermines ongoing work to find a way to resolve current tensions," said a statement from the EU´s foreign affairs office. "We urge the immediate release of the remaining ship and its crew, and call for restraint to avoid further tensions," it said. "Freedom of navigation must be respected at all times."
Germany called on Iran to immediately release the Swedish-owned, British-flagged Stena Impero. The seizure was a "dangerous further aggravation of an already tense situation", a foreign ministry statement said.
France made a similar call, with the foreign ministry saying Iran´s action "hampers a necessary de-escalation of tensions in the Gulf region. "We call on Iranian authorities to quickly release the ship and its crew, and to respect freedom of navigation principles in the Gulf."
Meanwhile, India said Saturday it was in touch with Tehran to secure the release of 18 of its nationals working on a British-flagged tanker seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Philippines also said it would ask Iran to free a Filipino crew member on the Swedish-owned Stena Impero which was seized on Friday, as tensions mount in a key waterway for the world´s oil supplies.
Raveesh Kumar, spokesman for India´s foreign ministry, said that 18 of its nationals were on the ship and said New Delhi was "in touch with the government of Iran to secure (their) early release and repatriation".
The tanker was impounded off Bandar Abbas port for breaking "international maritime rules" after colliding with a fishing boat, Iranian authorities said. The Philippine foreign department said a Filipino, three Russians and a Latvian were also among the ship´s crew.