British Foreign Secretary warns Iran of consequences over ship seizure

LONDON: British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned Iran of serious consequences over seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf.

Talking to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, British foreign secretary said Iran was choosing a dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behaviour.

Hunt expressed his disappointment in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart following the seizure of the British oil tanker.

Oil Tanker Stena Impero was surrounded in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said the vessel was violating international maritime rules.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif told Hunt the ship must now go through a legal process.

Another British-owned tanker, the MV Mesdar, was also boarded by armed guards but was later released.

The Stena Impero was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard on Friday in Strait of Hormuz.

The free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is of international importance because one-fifth of all global crude oil exports pass through the waterway from Middle East exporters to countries around the world.

The narrow waterway placed between Iran and Oman.