Iran resorts to piracy of oil tanker in dispute with UK over sanctions for trying to deliver oil to Syria

AP/Fuel Fix:
Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker Friday and briefly detained a second vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying tensions in the strategic waterway that has become a flashpoint between Tehran and the West.

The seizing of the British tanker marked perhaps the most significant escalation since tensions between Iran and the West began rising in May. At that time, the U.S. announced it was dispatching an aircraft carrier and additional troops to the Middle East, citing unspecified threats posed by Iran.

The ongoing showdown has caused jitters around the globe, with each maneuver bringing fear that any misunderstanding or misstep by either side could lead to war.

Details of what took place Friday remained sketchy after Iran reported that it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf is a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports.

The Stena Impero was taken to an Iranian port because it was not complying with "international maritime laws and regulations," Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared.
...
Iran is obviously lying.  It is using the same language used by the UK when it seized an Iranian tanker for its violation of UN sanctions against Syria.   It is confirming its status as a rogue state.  The US is working with other countries in the region to stop Iranian piracy.  The piracy happened shortly after the US took down an Iranian drone which got to close to a ship carrying US Marines.

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