Tensions soar after Iran seizes tanker

Tensions soar after Iran seizes tanker
Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Joshua Berlinger, July 20, 2019
Updated 5:33 p.m. ET, July 20, 2019 https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/iran-british-tanker-july-20...

What we covered here

A British-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Impero, is in Iranian custody Saturday after the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said they had seized it in the Strait of Hormuz for "violating international regulations."
A second tanker was stopped Friday, but has since been allowed to continue its course.
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the UK is "not looking at military options" at this time.
Iran's actions come amid increasing hostility between Tehran and Washington in recent weeks, and have raised tensions in the already volatile region.

9 hr 53 min ago
What we know now

A British-flagged oil tanker remains in Iranian custody after being seized by the Islamic Republic's navy in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

The UK government convened an emergency meeting of national security officials to discuss the seizure of the Steno Impero, a Downing Street spokeswoman said Saturday. The UK Foreign Office also summoned Iran’s charge d'affaires.

Iran said the seized tanker was using the exit lane to enter into the Strait of Hormuz, almost colliding with other vessels, a state-run news agency reported.

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Iran sees the seizing of tankers in the Strait of Hormuz as a “tit-for-tat situation” following the detention in Gibraltar of the Iranian tanker Grace 1.

Here are some other reactions from Saturday:

France and Germany have condemned Iran's actions.
The Indian government says it is in touch with counterparts in Iran to try to secure the release of Indian crew members aboard the captured tanker.
British Airways has suspended flights to Cairo for seven days “as a precaution to allow for further assessment,” the UK airline said in a statement.
The owners of the seized British-flagged Stena Impero tanker released a statement saying the crew is in “good health.”
The US Maritime Administration has issued an alert for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate in the strategic waterway.

10 hr 25 min ago
Pompeo: No indications that Iran is prepared to fundamentally change direction

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefly addressed escalating Iranian tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated hopes to begin talks with the Islamic Republic.

"In the end, the Iranians have to -- the Iranian regime has to make a decision that it wants to behave like a normal nation," Pompeo said.

During a news conference with Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Pompeo said there have been "no indications that the Iranians are prepared to fundamentally change the direction of their nation.

"If they do the things we've asked them to do on their nuclear program, their missile program, their malign behavior around the world -- I mean, you can just watch their actions. These are actions that threaten," Pompeo said.

"We saw the statements of (British Foreign Secretary Jeremy) Hunt, I spoke to him yesterday -- with other actions, these are not the actions of a country that looks like it's headed in the right direction but we hope as President Trump has said, that they will sit down and discuss these items with us."

more....