TEHRAN – Former British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said his country would obey a court order to repay £400m to Iran, if the precise sum owed is agreed.

The debt relates to a deal in the 1980s over the UK’s non-delivery of Chieftain tanks for which the former Iranian regime of Shah had paid.

“Our policy as the British government had always been absolutely clear. We are a law-abiding government, so if there is a court order that says that this money has to be paid ... then we obey the law,” Hunt said, The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

“The court process is still continuing, it is still deciding the exact amount that has to be paid,” he said.

“We obey court rulings, but what we will not do is link it to the release of a hostage because if you do that you then you encourage countries like Iran to take hostages in the future when they have another dispute.”

Tensions broke out between Tehran and London on July 4, after Britain’s naval forces unlawfully seized oil tanker Grace 1 and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil off the Strait of Gibraltar. The oil tanker was released in August.

Iranian forces also seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for involvement in an accident with an Iranian fishing boat, after the tanker ignored distress calls. The tanker’s release has been finalized according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

MH/PA