By Hossein Askari

Follow the leader — the UK’s Ill-advised piracy on the high seas

WASHINGTON - The United Kingdom should recognize what has become its position in the world — an important nation with an imperialistic history but now a much diminished global power. Blindly following the United States into hazardous waters could have dangerous results: America might not reward subservience or could change course in its own self-interest. While following George Bush into Iraq is now widely conceded in the UK as having been ill advised, British leaders seem to have forgotten the consequences of that disastrous decision.

‘The Bolton gambit succeeded and Britain stumbled into an American trap’

Britain blindly dances to Bolton’s war drums against Iran: Guardian

TEHRAN - In a commentary published on its website on Saturday, the Guardian said John Bolton, a notorious Iran hawk, has succeeded to lure Britain into a dangerous trap to punish Iran by deceiving London to capture a tanker carrying the Iranian oil in Gibraltar, which Iran responded in kind.

IRGC responds to British piracy: Larijani

TEHRAN - Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) responded to piracy by Britain by seizing a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday night.

Zarif: Iran’s move is fully within international maritime rules 

Iran stops UK tanker after it hits boat and ignores distress call

TEHRAN – Iranian forces late on Friday impounded 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.

By staff and agency

Britain to send third warship to Persian Gulf

The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on Tuesday that the United Kingdom will send a third warship to the Persian Gulf.

Deputy Majlis speaker: Tanker seizure not to affect Iran’s JCPOA decisions

TEHRAN – Deputy Majlis speaker Abdolreza Mesri has said Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar will not dissuade Tehran from reducing its nuclear undertakings in response to the West’s disloyalty.

Ayatollah Khamenei says Iran will surely continue to reduce JCPOA commitments

Leader: British act of ‘piracy’ won’t go unanswered

TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday condemned the British government’s illegal seizure of an Iranian supertanker in Gibraltar, saying the act of “piracy” will not go “unanswered”.

‘Iranians expect retaliation against British seizure of oil tanker’

TEHRAN – The Islamic Coalition Party Secretary General, Asadollah Badamchian, has said the Iranian people expect the government to take retaliatory measures in the aftermath of the British seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.

Government: Britain isolated after oil tanker confiscation

TEHRAN – Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Sunday that the British government has become isolated with its act of seizing an Iranian oil tanker.

UK failure to release tanker won’t be left unanswered: Iranian diplomat

TEHRAN - Iranian Ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad has said that a failure by the British government to release Iran’s oil tanker and its cargo will not be “left unanswered”.

Iran warns Britain not to get involved in ‘dangerous game’, urges it to immediately release tanker

TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi has renewed its calls on Britain to immediately release its oil tanker.

Zarif: ‘Negotiation under pressure is impossible’

TEHRAN – On repeated U.S. calls for negotiations with Iran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday that Iran will not negotiate under pressure, suggesting that the United States must first stop “economic terrorism” against Iran if it seeks negotiations.

Rouhani says U.S. call for UN nuclear watchdog meeting is ‘farcical’

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the U.S. call for an emergency meeting of the UN atomic watchdog on Iran’s nuclear actions is a “farcical story”.

Military chief: British seizure of Iranian oil tanker ‘won’t go unanswered’ 

Tehran – Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, threatened on Tuesday that the British seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar “will not go unanswered”.

British envoy at Foreign Ministry for third time over tanker seizure

TEHRAN – British Ambassador to Tehran Robert Macaire was in Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday for the third time since last week over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.

Britain must pay compensations for oil tanker seizure: ex-Rouhani aide

TEHRAN – The British government must pay compensations to Iran and others for seizing an Iranian oil tanker, says a former advisor to President Hassan Rouhani on citizenship rights.

Iran won’t tolerate British piracy: Hatami

TEHRAN - Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said on Monday that Britain’ act in seizing Iranian oil tanker was an act of piracy which will not be tolerated.

Raisi demands immediate release of Iranian oil tanker

TEHRAN – Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi has demanded an immediate release of an Iranian oil tanker seized by the British government, Fars reported.

Britain should be ‘scared’ of Iran’s retaliation: cleric

TEHRAN – Britain should be “scared” about the Islamic Republic’s retaliatory moves over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, a member of the Assembly of Experts said on Saturday.

By Mohammad Ghaderi 

Seizing Grace 1 tanker: An outright theft with no legal justification

TEHRAN - Seizing the oil tanker Grace 1 is a new event that has heated up the tension between Iran and the United States, but it can also be related to the current disagreements between United Kingdom and the European Union. 

Iran’s Expediency Council secretary calls for seizing British tanker in retaliation

TEHRAN – Secretary of the Expediency Council (EC) has said Iran should seize a British oil tanker if London doesn’t release the Iranian tanker which was illegally seized by its forces.

Iran summons British ambassador over oil tanker seizure

TEHRAN - The British Ambassador to Tehran, Robert Macaire, was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening in protest over the seizure of a tanker carrying Iranian oil.

No oil leak, no injury by break-down Iranian oil tanker in Red Sea

TEHRAN- An Iranian oil tanker carrying over one million barrels of oil suffered a malfunction in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

By Mehdi Sepahvand

Iran Navy foils pirate attack on oil tanker

TEHRAN – Iran’s naval forces have successfully thwarted a pirate attack on an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

Asian shipments of Iranian oil to surge in upcoming months

TEHRAN –Imports by the four major Asian buyers of Iranian oil are expected to pick up in the upcoming months through May, Reuters reported citing trade sources.

China keeps buying Iranian oil, and the trade war adds a reason to defy U.S. sanctions

China, the world’s top crude-oil buyer, imported around 718,000 barrels a day on average from Iran between January and May of this year, according to official Chinese customs data — equivalent to more than a quarter of Iran’s oil exports. China’s increased its imports of Iranian oil by 9.3 percent during the same time period from the year prior and is not expected to slow down purchases anytime soon.

Sanchi oil tanker investigations will be through by late May: MP

TEHRAN — Investigations uncovering the real causes of Sanchi oil tanker tragic incident in which the tanker burned and sank off the coast of China on January 6 will be completed by late May, MP Mohammad Reza Rezaei has said.

Chinese envoy condoles with Iranian nation on Sanchi tragedy

TEHRAN – Chinese Ambassador to Iran Pang Sen expressed his deep condolences to the bereaved families of the victims of the Sanchi oil tanker which sank on Sunday, days after a collision with a Chinese freighter some 300 kilometers east of Shanghai.

Leader: Oil tanker crew lost lives while serving country 

TEHRAN – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, issued a message on Sunday offering his “sincere” condolences to the Iranian families who lost loved ones in the oil tanker inferno in the East China Sea.

All sailors aboard Iranian burning oil tanker announced dead 

All 32 crew members on board an Iranian oil tanker that caught fire on January 6 after colliding with a freighter off China’s east coast are dead.