Iran Press/Iran News: Mohammad Rastad said during a press conference in Tehran on Monday that despite the US sanctions regional fleet traffic, as well as the regular imports to Iranian ports and exports from them, are continuing.
He stated: "The detention of the tanker carrying oil for the Islamic Republic of Iran in Gibraltar was completely illegal and had no legal basis, but the British tanker Stena Impero was impounded and prosecuted for violating maritime conventions."
"What is at stake is that the security of each region must be provided by the countries of the same region. The formation of an external coalition will produce nothing but tension," Rastad added.
He also said, "The formation of the US-led coalition in the Persian Gulf region is unacceptable. Now if an unknown and illegitimate element intends to be present in the coalition, this would also undermine the legitimacy of the coalition and its presence in our region."
The Adrian Darya 1 was carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil when it was seized illegally by Britain's Royal Marines off the coast of Gibraltar Strait under the pretext that the supertanker had been suspected of carrying crude to Syria in breach of the European Union’s unilateral sanctions against the Arab country.
Tehran rejected the claim that the tanker was heading to Syria, slamming the seizure as maritime piracy.
On 19 July, the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the British oil tanker 'Stena Impero' has been impounded near the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker was moving the wrong way, trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz in waters normally used by ships and tankers exiting the strait.
213/104
Read More:
London reacts to seizure of tanker in Persian Gulf
UK tanker threatens safety of shipping in Strait of Hormuz: Iran's PMO officials
IRGC Navy impounds British tanker in Strait of Hormuz
