By Finian Cunningham

July 24, 2019 "Information Clearing House" - Britain is sending more warships to the Persian Gulf, accusing Iran of “hostile acts” after a British-flagged tanker was seized by Iranian forces last week. Joining the British naval fleet is one its newest Astute-Class nuclear-powered submarines, according to UK media.

London condemned the Iranian interception of the Stena Impero cargo ship last Friday, and has said its increased presence of warships in the Gulf is to “protect freedom of navigation” for commercial shipping. Britain is expected to link up with a US-led naval coalition that Washington is currently organizing for deployment in the region.

Iran released video footage of its elite commandoes abseiling on to the British vessel from helicopter. The Stena Impero was then impounded at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran claims the tanker was involved in a collision with a fishing boat and that it refused to abide by safety regulations. Iran is conducting an investigation and has detained the crew of mainly Indian nationals.

British protests over Iran’s “unacceptable” detention of the tanker sound rather hollow, if not hypocritical. Currently, an Iran oil tanker, Grace 1, is being detained in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar after being seized by Royal Navy commandoes on July 4. London claims it is enforcing sanctions against Syria by commandeering the Iranian tanker containing 2 million barrels of oil, allegedly on the way to Syria. Iran rebuffs the British claims and has denounced the seizure off Gibraltar as an “act of piracy”.