Former Royal Navy boss ‘amazed’ that British tankers seized by Iran weren’t escorted by warships

A former head of the Royal Navy has said the UK should not ‘pretend we’re surprised’ that Iran has seized two British oil tankers in the Gulf.

In a major escalation of tensions, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched a guerilla-style attack to confiscate the British vessels as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz last night. 

The seizures are thought to be in retaliation for the detention of the Iranian Grace 1 tanker by UK forces earlier this month.

Lord West of Spitfield told Sky News: ‘What I find extraordinary is that we knew that the Iranians would try something like this a few days ago.

‘I’m absolutely amazed that we haven’t implemented some sort of control of red ensign shipping within the region whereby no tanker would go in to what is clearly a dangerous zone without an escort, and I find it bizarre that we seem to have ships doing exactly that.’

West accused the British navy had ‘too few ships’ and would find it ‘extremely difficult’ to provide escorts to merchant vessels.

The Royal Navy has since deployed frigate HMS Montrose to the Gulf and destroyer HMS Duncan is on her way to join her. 

HMS Montrose, which is patrolling the Persian Gulf, raced towards the scene after the British-flagged tanker diverted from its planned course.   

The Royal Navy has since deployed frigate HMS Montrose (pictured), which was patrolling the Persian Gulf

HMS Duncan, a Type 45 Destroyer, is on her way to join her following the confiscation of British vessels

Fears were raised that Iranian authorities were trying to seize a UK ship in retaliation for the detention of the Grace 1 tanker. 

The Iranian ship was detained off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4. The Foreign Office claiming it had violated EU sanctions by carrying a cargo of crude oil destined for Syria.

But there was no statement from the office of the European External Action Service, the body responsible for conducting EU’s foreign and security policy.

There is also no precedent of shipments of oil to Syria being impounded, which prompted Spain to accuse the UK of acting under the instruction of the US.

The US is trying to freeze all Iranian oil exports to force the country into reopen talks on the nuclear deal signed in 2015, which America pulled out of last year. 

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the tanker’s seizure an act of ‘piracy’ on Tuesday and warned the UK to expect a response. 

The Stena Impero oil tanker has been seized by Iranian authorities while passing through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday

The Stena Impero was surrounded by Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces at 4pm and ordered to head north. The British registered vessel switched off its maritime tracker a short time later. A second British vessel, Medsar, abruptly changed course towards Iran around 4.45pm

The ship’s captain, chief officer and two second officers were arrested and bailed and an investigation is ongoing. 

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt offered to help release Grace 1 if Iran guaranteed it would not breach sanctions imposed on Bashar Assad’s regime. 

Iran last night exacted its revenge – seizing two British oil tankers in the strategic  Strait of Hormuz. 

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard confiscated the British-flagged Stena Impero and the Mesdar, which is Liberian flagged, but owned by British company Norbulk Shipping. 

It 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.