Sunfish,
The Iranian tanker actually stopped of its own accord to take on stores in Gibraltar's territorial waters - in exactly the same way that many other merchant ships do. It was not just conducting a transit of the area.

Membership of the EU requires any state to enforce the EU sanctions currently in place. Gibraltar did just this.

Gibraltar asked for, and was given, the assistance of Royal Marines (who specialise in this field) to assist the Gibraltar police in apprehending the vessel.

You are right. The boarding of a ship in transit of a Strait, especially by armed force, is an illegal act - which is exactly what the Iranians have done.
It is of note that the Iranian ship is full of Iranian oil; the Stena Impero is in ballast and has NO cargo.

HWB

SAS - its not just the Iranians - i don't remember the international press being invited to Guantanamo very often either - or charges being brought in a proper court of law

Face it - countries will do what they want when they want to do it and they will justify whatever it is

Doesn't convince anyone but it makes them happy

Unless those joining up the 'policy' are an out going PM and Foreign Secretary leaving a little "Welcome to No 10" gift to the inbound PM.

Just a thought.

That is irrelevant to the issues at hand.....here we are talking about acts of war, piracy, and violations of UN and EU sanctions against Iran.

Ya'll did notice the Iranian Foreign Minister was in the USA while the latest acts were taken.....and ya'll probably are unaware that the Revolutionary Guards and the Ayatollah's do not care much for the FM who was educated in the United States.

The Iranian Government is splintered with multiple competing factions...some due to religion and politics....which creates a situation where different factions are working at cross purposes far too often.

I am thinking we are going to see far more support for the secular side of the Iranian government than we are the Zealots like the Revolutionary Guards side of the government.

Sanctions are really beginning to hurt the Iranians....and we can count on more and tougher sanctions yet to come over their latest antics.

I am thinking the bets are on the people rising up and a "counter-revolution" taking place that shall see the Ayatollahs unseated and the Revolutionary Guard kicked to the curb.

Were the UK to have left the European Union on the 29th march as we was supposed to then we would not have to had to stop the Iranian tanker and all this trouble in the Straight of Homuz wouldn't have happened.

The RN took very decisive action it appears....a bit short of a serious telling off of the Iranians....which could have provoked a hostile response I reckon.:ugh:

The link contains the audio of the radio transmissions of the Iranians and the RN warship.


https://www.breitbart.com/europe/201...anker-seizure/

​​​​​​Err so the plan is from now on we cower under the blankets and abrogate our responsibilities as a serious world player? So much for global Britain eh (Assuming of course this isn't sarcasm - its impossible to tell nowadays)

Actually it is grimly amusing to see the Iranians trolling us so blatantly. They know full well we can do eff all about it.

Very wishful thinking methinks. Didn't they try that a few years back and get brutally put back in their box?

If a recent BBC in-country report is anything to go by, a growing portion of their young people are getting more than a little hacked off with the west, with this seemingly endless flip-flopping

Interesting that according to today's "Times" the Gibraltar Govt changed their rules /laws 36 hours before they intercepted the tanker and kicked this off - sounds like the long stranding rules didn't allow interception of tankers passing through... now WHO suggested that change I wonder......

And since Spain has a claim on those waters why didn't they act???

I saw that completely unbiased and not at all influenced by an "if only Trump hadn't trashed the nice EU nuclear deal everything would be wonderful and unicorns would frolic in crystal pools of water with unlimited chocolate and honey for all" piece. Leading questions, left, right and centre......

Show me an unbiased media report on the country...

As far as I recall I don't think any openly expressed their support for the regime either.

Odds on this law being changed back on Wednesday afternoon?

Indeed, and why? Who is trying to provoke who?

It sickens me that we are being led, again, into another conflict with the very same agenda as Gulf War II.
Have we learned nothing?

What happen when some "big" countries refuse to recognise International Courts...................... even when caught out. Like mining Nicuraguan harbours. Claim countrys should respect International laws and courts because laughable when countries decide what they will respect when it suits.

Which basically means to anybody is "any agreement with US President is not worth the paper it is written on".

They fact they haven't, doesn't mean they won't. After all how long did it take for US to put charges to people at Gitmo and where was their access to the media ?

Correct - the Kyoto and Paris climate agreements being examples in point.

Racedo,

I believe a short ramble through British (or is it English....I get confused on the semantics of it all) History might remind you who we learned all that from and more.

Capturing a Terrorist or Non-Uniformed Combatant on the battlefield does differ a bit from a crew of mariners going about their daily business I should think.....don't you agree?

George Washington was a Non Uniformed Combatant for many a year.

Stopping oil going to Syria so it can continue to destroy IS/Al Aaeda with a crew of mariners comes along as the height of stupidity. Then again US Foreign Policy in Middle East is along those lines.

As for learning from the Brits, but like getting Ray Charles to provide driving lessons to Stevie Wonder and then wonder why are at the bottom of the cliff.

Its the Wilberforce worked to abolish Slavery, while many fellow Brits were making millions from type of hypocrisy.

Easy diplomatic solution:
Detain the GRACE 1 crew in Gibraltar and let them go through due legal process for breaching sanctions, then...
1. Fly out a new crew to take the ship back to Iran, full, or
2. Sell the fuel to a neutral country at baseline market price (without transportation costs), then the second crew take empty ship back to Iran. (But, the quantity of cash being carried on GRACE 1 would attract the attention of pirates around the Horn of Africa area = not our problem!!! - Send your speedboats out there!)
The first crew would likely try to claim asylum, get rejected and be home with family soon enough.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/pompeo...aptured-tanker

Helpful and supportive.

Only when others had cashed in on UK market share and were making more money. Slavery isn't abolished, tell that to the people in the open air slave markets in Libya that Uk helped reform,

Wonder where all the Libyan money will end up that UK Govt sequestrated.

No legal basis for sanctions in the first place. Iranians kept to their agreement. UK doing what Washington told them like a good lap dog.

The POTUS isn't a dictator (not yet, anyway). His/her agreements are not binding and don't carry the weight of the nation until they are ratified by the US Congress.
We rather like that the POTUS isn't a dictator and being limited in what they can unilaterally do or agree to.

The attempt at rewriting history such that London outlawed slavery, from thence on its citizens stopped being slavers is interesting, no factual basis for it but interesting never the less.

Security Council Resolution 2199(2015) was passed to prevent funding by oil smuggling.

Prevent funding of terrorism, namely ISIL, Al Qaeda etal, not Syria.

Let's just say the Brits were less likely to trade in slaves after the law was passed eh?

No-one has totally clean hands here but at least the Brits did something a long way ahead of many other countries

So US is breaking US Sec Council regs in allowing oil smuggling

Some were but others continued profitable. Moralising and being so against something when you know you position is no longer profitable or tenable is a very British Trait.

Like wanting to introduce Democracy to Hong Kong as you are leaving after ignoring it for the previous 90 years.

Has nobody considered that in responding to racedo all they are doing is priming a chatbot with its next response?

Epic thread drift...

Waiting for Boris speed-reading his first briefing then offhandedly announcing the tanker was indeed in Iranian waters and that the crew deserves everything coming to them.

Serious questions - what is the advantage of British flagging a Swedish-owned tanker with a predominantly Indian crew? Is it a tax thingy? Also, could other countries offer their flags as temporary flags of convenience to British shipping until the Iranians calm down a bit?