In an audio recording released on Sunday by Guardian, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps can be heard threatening UK’s Stena Impero ship and ordering a British naval officer of turning the ship’s course.
The audio, which originally released by maritime security risk firm Dryad Global, proves how the UK ship failed to prevent Iran from the seizure.
“If you obey, you will be safe…alter your course to 360 degrees immediately, over,” says an Iranian naval agent who is threatening the UK naval officer who is trying to explain to the Iranians that their move would result in an act of piracy.
“Sir, I reiterate that as you are conducting transit passage in a recognized international strait, under international law your passage must not be impaired, intruded, obstructed or hampered.”
The British officer can be heard telling the Iranian patrol boat, who introduced themselves as Sepah (a local known for Iranian Revolutionary Gard Corps), to confirm that Iran will not want to violate international law by such request. A request which remain responded from the Iranian side.
“please confirm that you are not intending to violate international law by unlawfully attempting to board the MV Stena,” the British officer says.
Early Saturday, Iran admitted it has sized a British-flagged oil tanker giving contradictory justifications for doing so including “violations of international rules,” and “having an accident with an Iranian ship.”
With the newly released audio, Tehran’s justifications seem fabricated.
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ speed boats apparently approached Stena Impero, a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, and forced it to change its direction towards Iranian waters.
Iran has been trying to force UK to release its own commercial ship, which was earlier stopped by UK navy and accused of carrying oil to Syria and violation of EU sanctions.
Iran ambassador to UK warned in a tweet on Sunday that Britain must be careful with “domestic political forces” who want to intensify tensions between the two countries beyond the seized ships. He concluded that in any case Tehran is “firm and ready for different scenarios.”
