Bianca Rahimi
Press TV, London
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has threatened the UK with legal action over the seizure of an Iranian-operated supertanker in the Strait of Gibraltar off Spain on July 4.
The UK accused Iran of taking oil to Syria in violation of unilateral EU sanctions. But Spain later clarified London ordered the confiscation at the request of the United States.
US president Donald Trump came out of the landmark Iran Nuclear Deal in May 2018 and has since been implementing a policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, reinstating old sanctions, implementing new ones, and vowing to bring Iran’s oil sales to a complete standstill.
The Persian Gulf, which flanks Iran’s entire southern border, has become the stage for Western powers to muscle in on Iran. This has forced Tehran to step up its patrolling of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. So far Iran has intercepted three vessels suspected of smuggling.
Former British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the seizures a tit-for-tat endeavor on Iran’s part but Zarif refutes this. Zarif’s fiery words are a manifestation of growing impatience within Iran regarding US bullying tactics.
Iran says it will not respond to pressure and that if Washington wants talks, all the sanctions must be lifted.