Five Iranian gunboats failed in an attempt to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, according to US officials cited in a CNN report.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces ordered a British oil tanker to alter its route in the Strait of Hormuz and tried to force it near Iranian-controlled waters, according to CNN. But the HMS Montrose, a UK Royal Navy frigate, was escorting the oil tanker and pointed its weapons on the IRGC vessels.

The HMS Montrose verbally warned the Iranian forces, who then backed off, CNN reported. US aircraft observed and recorded the incident, CNN said.

The incident follows increased tensions between Iran and the UK. On Wednesday, Iran threatened to seize UK tankers, which have recently been escorted by the HMS Montrose and a minehunter traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's threats came after British Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker suspected of violating the European Union's sanctions by shipping about 2 million barrels of crude oil to Syria.

"You [Britain] are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said to a state-sponsored news agency on Wednesday.

"Now you are so hopeless that, when one of your tankers wants to move in the region, you have to bring your frigates because you are scared," Rouhani added. "Then why do you commit such acts? You should instead allow navigation to be safe."

The US Defense Department said it "was aware" of the reports and referred the matter to the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are aware of the reports of [the IRGC's] harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz," Navy Capt. Bill Urban said to INSIDER.

"Threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution," Urban added. "The world economy depends on the free flow of commerce, and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this lynchpin of global prosperity." </s> Five Iranian ships unsuccessfully tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday - US officials say.

Armed vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tried to capture the British Heritage tanker while it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's ships reportedly ordered the British vessel to divert its course and stop in Iranian waters which it was sailing nearby.

British frigate the HMS Montrose was escorting the tanker and trained its guns on the Iranians before giving them a verbal warning to back off.

A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident as the Iranian ships then fled - according to CNN.

UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a 'maritime security role.'

It comes after Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar last week, which Britain says was violating EU sanctions by carrying fuel to Syria.

Iran denies the vessel was bound for Syria and says the UK acted on behalf of the United States, which has separate sanctions in place against Tehran itself.

Senior Iranian politicians had threatened to retaliate by seizing a British tanker.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet session earlier on Wednesday that Britain would 'see the consequences' after the Gibraltar seizure.

In remarks broadcast on Iranian TV, Rouhani said: 'You (Britain) are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later.

'Now you are so hopeless that, when one of your tankers wants to move in the region, you have to bring your frigates (to escort it) because you are scared.

'Then why do you commit such acts? You should instead allow navigation to be safe.'

The HMS Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats.

The Montrose, based in Bahrain, also has radar that allows it to track aircraft and missiles up to 120 miles away, and a missile system with a 20-mile range.

The BP-owned British Heritage, had earlier halted to take refuge off the coast of Saudi Arabia following Iran's threat.

Earlier this week, British tanker Pacific Voyager, which sails under the Isle of Man flag, was escorted through the Strait of Hormuz by HMS Montrose, a Type-23 frigate, on Tuesday. </s> Five boats believed to belong to Iranian Revolutionary Guards approached a British oil tanker in the Gulf on Wednesday and asked it to stop in Iranian waters close by, but withdrew after a British warship warned them over radio, according to US defence officials.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the incident on Wednesday happened as British Heritage tanker was at the northern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed it guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed,” one of the officials said.

“It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage,” the other official said.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence had no immediate comment.

A spokesman for US central command, Captain Bill Urban, said: “We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy’s FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz.”

CNN reported that a US surveillance aircraft recorded video of the incident. It said the HMS Montrose, which was escorting the oil tanker, trained its guns on the IRG boats and issued a verbal warning.

Last week a former leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the Islamic Republic should consider seizing a British oil tanker in response to the UK military detaining an Iranian vessel off the coast of Gibraltar.

Mohsen Rezaei, who led the Guard during Iran’s 1980s “tanker war” in the Persian Gulf, made the comments the day after nearly 30 Royal Marines were deployed to impound the oil tanker Grace 1.

“If England does not release the Iranian oil tanker, the duty ... [of Iran] is to respond and seize one English oil tanker,” Rezaei said on Friday.

Tehran has been accused of sabotaging oil tankers in the strait of Hormuz in an attempt at economic retaliation against the US after Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal and imposed sanctions on Iran. </s> (CNN) Armed Iranian boats unsuccessfully tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday, according to two US officials with direct knowledge of the incident.

The British Heritage tanker was sailing out of the Persian Gulf and was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area when it was approached by boats from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Iranians ordered the tanker to change course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters, according to the officials. A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident, though CNN has not seen the footage.

A British Ministry of Defense source told CNN that it "appeared that the Iranian vessels were trying to divert the Heritage from international to Iranian waters" before the British Navy ship HMS Montrose "got between them and issued a verbal warning to withdraw."

US officials said five Iranian ships approached the UK vessels. However, British officials said that three Iranian vessels were involved in the incident.

The UK's Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had been escorting the tanker from the rear. It trained its deck guns on the Iranians and gave them a verbal warning to back away, which they did, according to the UK source. Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats. UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a "maritime security role."

In a statement, the UK's Ministry of Defense said that "contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz."

"HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away," the statement said. "We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard denied that it tried to stop the British tanker, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday.

On Thursday, the British Heritage was seen moving through the Gulf of Oman along the Omani coastline, according to tracking platform Marine Traffic.

The British Heritage is a British oil tanker operated by British Petroleum. It was not carrying any cargo at the time of the incident.

The vessel left the Iraqi city of Basra on July 6 and stopped off the coast of Saudi Arabia on July 7, according to the tracker.

On July 10, the ship turned off its transponders for almost 24 hours, making it undetectable by radars. When it switched on its transponders at around 1pm Eastern Time, it appeared to have sailed through the Persian Gulf escorted by the HMS Montrose.

At the same time, concerns are rising in Europe and the United States after Iran began increasing uranium enrichment after saying it would no longer comply with the nuclear agreement it signed in 2015. The US pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018 and reintroduced economic sanctions.

The Grace 1 super tanker near a Royal Marine patrol vessel off Gibraltar on July 4.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned earlier Wednesday that the UK "will see the consequences" after Gibraltar officials and UK Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker bound for Syria last week, according to Rouhani's press office.

Rouhani, speaking in a cabinet session, said, "I tell the British that they are the initiator of insecurity and you will understand its consequences later."

US working to strengthen maritime security in region

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that the US and its allies were working to put together a coalition of countries to come up with a system to enforce freedom of navigation in the region amid what the US says are heightened threats from Iran.

"We had a discussion today, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and I and we are engaging now with a number of countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb," Dunford said following an awards ceremony for his Finnish counterpart.

"I think what we'll do is, we certainly from the United States perspective would provide maritime domain awareness and surveillance," he said, adding that naval vessels would escort commercial ships that shared a country of origin, if required.

"Escorting in the normal course of events would be done by countries who have the same flag so a ship that is flagged by a particular country would be escorted by that country and I think what the United States can provide is domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and then coordination and patrols for other ships that would be in the area would be largely coalition ships," Dunford said.

Heightened tensions

The alleged Iranian attempt to seize the British tanker comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Earlier on Wednesday President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that sanctions on Iran will "soon be increased, substantially!" following news that Iran was enriching uranium beyond the limits imposed by the Iran Nuclear Deal.

President Trump signs an executive order imposing fresh sanctions on Iran in the Oval Office on June 24.

Last month Trump halted plans for a military strike against Iran in retaliation for the shooting down of a US drone, Trump said he found it hard to believe it had been an "intentional" act. "I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it," Trump said in the Oval Office on June 20.

The Trump administration has argued that the nuclear deal it abandoned in 2018, is inadequate as it doesn't cover Iran's ballistic missiles or regional activities.

Even though the International Atomic Energy Agency has found that Iran has complied with the deal, the US has re-imposed all sanctions in place before the deal and added new ones. Those actions have undermined the central concept of the deal -- that in exchange for controls on its nuclear program, Iran would see some economic relief.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted Wednesday that the US has no standing to raise issues pertaining to the multilateral deal, due to the Trump administration's earlier decision to exit he deal.

US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told CNN Tuesday that the US is "looking for a new and better deal" to submit to the Senate as a treaty. </s> The U.K.-flagged tanker Pacific Voyager appears to have had an escort in the form of the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose, along with an unknown Sandown-class minehunter, as she sailed from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman today. This comes less than a week after an Iranian official threatened the seizure of a British ship in retaliation for U.K. officials seizing control of the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 off the coast of Gibraltar. Online ship trackers first noticed that Montrose, which is forward-deployed to the region, and the minehunter were shadowing Pacific Voyager on July 9, 2019. The minehunter's transponder appeared to identify it as HMS Ramsey, but that ship is based in the United Kingdom. There are four other members of the Sandown-class that do operate forward-deployed in the region. Pacific Voyager successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident later in the day.

“The UK maintains a long-standing maritime presence in the Gulf," a spokesperson for the U.K. Ministry of Defense told the Daily Star, refusing to confirm or deny that any Royal Navy ships were escorting Pacific Voyager. "We are continuously monitoring the security situation there and are committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in accordance with international law."

The United Kingdom is a contributor to the U.S. Navy-led Combined Task Force 150, which is based in Bahrain and helps ensure freedom of navigation in waterways throughout the Middle East and guards commercial shipping in the region against terrorist attacks and piracy. The U.K. military has dubbed its maritime contributions in the region as Operation Kipion. The apparent escort the Pacific Voyager follows a threat from Mohsen Rezaei, who is presently the Secretary of Iran's powerful Expediency Discernment Council, an advisory body to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to seize a British ship in response to U.K. authorities boarding and taking control of Iran's Grace 1 over apparent sanctions violations. That incident occurred on July 4, 2019, and Rezaei, who is also a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), made his statement the following day. The U.S. government has blamed the IRGC for carrying out, or otherwise supporting, attacks on a number of oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in two separate incidents, one in May 2019 and another the following month. The IRGC also claimed responsibility for shooting down a U.S. Navy drone in June 2019, which almost prompted the U.S. military to launch strikes against targets in Iran. With the situation so tense, Pacific Voyager had already caused a stir after it came to an unexpected stop in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, raising fears that the IRGC had followed through with Rezaei's threat. A representative of the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office subsequently told Reuters that the ship was "safe and well" and that it had paused its voyage simply to ship its estimated time of arrival its next port of call.

It possible that this may have also been in order to allow Montrose and the minehunter to arrive in position. In addition, there's no indication that naval mines have become an imminent threat in the region and its more likely that the smaller ship simply provided additional security for the tanker during the passage.

On July 8, 2019, another U.K.-flagged tanker, the BP-owned British Heritage, which had been on its way to Basara, Iraq, abruptly changed its plans and dropped anchor off Saudi Arabia. The ship had been under charter to Dutch Royal Shell, but has reportedly canceled its booking and may now be waiting for its own escort out of the region.

The situation underscores the often inherent risks to maritime commerce in the region, despite it being a major transit point for a third of the world's oil supply and for 90 percent of all energy exports, including natural gas, to destinations outside the Middle East. It also highlights the difficulties that even countries with maritime assets forward-deployed in the region face in responding to major security challenges. The Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates are of a now older design, dating back to the late 1980s, but still have significant anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and anti-submarine capabilities. But while Montrose, together with the Sandown-class minehunter, would certainly be able to deter a small force from trying to board a tanker, but the two ships alone might have trouble contending with a larger Iranian contingent riding in a swarm of small boats, especially if coupled with other threats, such as mines, shore-based missiles, and small unmanned aerial vehicles. With all this in mind, it remains to be seen now whether Montrose and other Royal Navy ships in the region will begin escorting British-flagged commercial vessels regularly, or if those tankers and cargo ships increasingly avoid taking jobs in the region for the foreseeable future over potential Iranian threats. </s> Royal Navy sees off boats trying to stop tanker off Iranian coast

Royal Navy sees off boats trying to stop tanker off Iranian coast

Three Iranian boats tried to stop a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry of defence has said.

The boats withdrew after a warning from a British warship - HMS Montrose - operating in the area.

In a statement, a government spokesman said they were "concerned" by the incident and urged Iranian authorities "to de-escalate the situation in the region".

The spokesman said: "Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.

"HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away. We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."

Initial reports from US officials suggested that five Iranian vessels were involved in the incident.

"The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed its guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed," one of the officials said.

"It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage," another official said.

The incident comes as the HMS Montrose warship was said to be offering extra protection to British Heritage in the Gulf following a threat from Iran to seize a British vessel.

Tensions have been rising since Royal Marines helped seize an Iranian-flagged tanker in Gibraltar which was allegedly carrying oil to Syria, in breach of European Union sanctions.

The capture of the Grace 1 tanker prompted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to warn the UK of "consequences".

"You (Britain) are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later," Rouhani said after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.

Brigadier General Amir Hatami also warned the UK its actions "will not go without a response".

Tehran claimed the detention was an "illegal interception" and have demanded the tanker's release.

But Gibraltar officials believe the 330m (1,000ft) tanker could have been carrying up to two million barrels of oil destined for Syria.

Iran has denied this and said the boat was headed "somewhere else".

Gibraltar's supreme court ruled last week the tanker could be held for another 14 days, the territory's attorney general said.

The US has been leading a push for allies and other tankers that use the Strait of Hormuz to increase their maritime security in the region, safeguarding strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.

It alleges that Tehran was behind attacks on six oil tankers in the area.

Relations between the two countries have fractured since President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions. </s> On Wednesday the commercial vessel British Heritage was passing through the Strait of Hormuz when three Iranian boats attempted to impede the British oil tanker, thus creating a crisis between Iran and the United Kingdom and deepening tensions in the vital shipping zone.

The latest series incidents has sent tensions between Iran and the US soaring. It also comes after the UK seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, for which Tehran has threatened retaliation. The next day the Ministry of Defense statement said, “Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The British warship HMS Montrose was “forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away,”

On the other side, Iran has rejected the claims and the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) also issued a statement denying involvement. Then, the Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called the British allegations “worthless” in remarks to the semi-official Fars news agency.

A spokesperson for US central command, Captain Bill Urban, said, “We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy’s FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the strait of Hormuz.”

CNN reported that a US surveillance aircraft recorded video of the incident. they mentioned the HMS Montrose, which was escorting the oil tanker, trained its guns on the IRGC boats and issued a verbal warning. No shots were fired.

At the same time Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned the UK it would face unspecified consequences as a result of the UK’s seizure of the Grace 1 oil tanker that was bound for Syria.

We are waiting for the coming period. What is happening with Iran? </s> A Royal Navy warship is offering increased protection to a second tanker in the Gulf in an apparent boost to maritime security following a threat from Iran to seize a British vessel, Sky News understands.

HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, is travelling with the British Heritage tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to a ship tracking website and a defence source.

The warship is not providing an official escort to the Isle of Man-flagged vessel, owned by BP shipping, but it is providing an increased level of monitoring.

British Heritage, which is able to hold more than one million barrels of oil, had earlier in the day been spotted sheltering off the coast of Saudi Arabia

HMS Montrose gave the same assistance to Pacific Voyager, also an Isle of Man-flagged tanker, for a "little way" over the past day before passing on the duty to another ship in the region, a second defence source said.

The source did not give the identity of the other ship but it would likely have been the warship of an allied nation also operating in the area.

Britain is expected to reveal details about what seems to be a change in posture towards commercial shipping in the Gulf in the coming days.

It is thought to be part of a push led by the United States for allies and other countries with tankers that use the Strait of Hormuz to bolster maritime security in the region following a spate of attacks against tankers blamed on Iran.

British ships have specifically been named as a target by Tehran after Royal Marines helped forces in Gibraltar seize an Iranian-flagged tanker allegedly bound for Syria in breach of European Union sanctions.

The capture of the Grace 1 tanker prompted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today to warn the UK of "consequences".

"I point out to the British that you initiated insecurity (on the seas) and you shall grasp the consequences of it later on," he said in comments to the cabinet broadcast by state TV.

The president called the seizure of the tanker "a foolish act".

The 330 metre (1,000 feet) Grace 1 tanker, capable of carrying two million barrels of oil, was halted on Thursday by police and customs in Gibraltar.

Iran condemned the detention as an "illegal interception," but Gibraltar officials said that the cargo was believed to be destined for Syria, which is subject to European sanctions.

Iran denied this, saying that the destination "was somewhere else."

Calling the tanker's seizure an act of maritime piracy, Brigadier-General Amir Hatami said it "will not be tolerated by us and will not go without a response".

Gibraltar's supreme court ruled Friday that the tanker can be held for 14 more days, the territory's attorney general said.

Tensions with Iran have heightened since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a nuclear deal with the regime and re-imposed sanctions.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said HMS Montrose is in the Gulf region.

The last time the Royal Navy officially escorted ships in the Gulf was in the 1980s. The Armilla Patrol involved many more ships escorting groups of commercial vessels through the Gulf at a time of heightened threat from Iran. </s> The British Heritage tanker was sailing out of the Persian Gulf and was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area when it was approached by the Iranian boats. The Iranians ordered the tanker to change course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters, according to the officials. A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident.

The UK's Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had been escorting the tanker from the rear. It trained its deck guns on the Iranians and gave them a verbal warning to back away, which they did. Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats.

UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a "maritime security role."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned earlier Wednesday that the UK "will see the consequences" after Gibraltar officials and UK Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker bound for Syria last week, according to Rouhani's press office.

Rouhani, speaking in a cabinet session, said, "I tell the British that they are the initiator of insecurity and you will understand its consequences later." US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that the US and its allies were working to put together a coalition of countries to come up with a system to enforce freedom of navigation in the region amid what the US says are heightened threats from Iran. "We had a discussion today, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and I and we are engaging now with a number of countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb," Dunford said following an awards ceremony for his Finnish counterpart. "I think what we'll do is, we certainly from the United States perspective would provide maritime domain awareness and surveillance," he said, adding that naval vessels would escort commercial ships that shared a country of origin, if required. "Escorting in the normal course of events would be done by countries who have the same flag so a ship that is flagged by a particular country would be escorted by that country and I think what the United States can provide is domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and then coordination and patrols for other ships that would be in the area would be largely coalition ships," Dunford said. This story is breaking and will be updated.
Three or five of Iran's IRGC Navy gunboats unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of British oil tanker British Heritage in the Persian Gulf, according to UK's Ministry of Defense as well as two anonymous U.S. officials. The Royal Navy's HMS Montrose reportedly warns the boats to back away from the BP Shipping-owned tanker, which they do. The incident is allegedly captured on a U.S. aircraft's camera.