US, UK will ‘regret’ seizing tanker off Gibraltar: Iran

TEHRAN: Iran´s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that the United States and Britain will "strongly regret" the seizure of a tanker off Gibraltar, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

"If the enemy had made the smallest assessment they wouldn't have done this act," said Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi, deputy commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards, referring to the seizure of an oil tanker late last week by Gibraltar's police aided by British Royal Marines.

He added that the seizure of the tanker was "stupidity... a trait the American president has in spades and the British to some extent." The Guards also denied on Thursday that they had in turn impeded a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in a statement published by the force´s Sepahnews site.

"There has been no confrontation in the last 24 hours with any foreign vessels, including British ones," the statement said. Britain´s government said Thursday three Iranian boats had attempted to "impede the passage" of a British oil tanker in Gulf waters, forcing UK warship HMS Montrose to intervene.

Iran´s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called reports alleging that the Guards tried to impede the British oil tanker "claims to create tension (in the region,) these claims are worthless," the official state news agency IRNA reported.