British Royal Marines seize Iranian tanker under orders from US

Pam Barker | Director of TLB Europe Reloaded Project

For more background information on the Thursday seizure of the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, we also recommend this piece by Euronews titled Iranian cleric says UK should be ‘scared’ of Tehran’s response over tanker, with its accompanying video below:

See also Gibraltar moves to detain Iranian tanker for 14 days. Of concern is Spanish territorial sovereignty, since this action took place in waters the British deems theirs yet Spain considers is part of its territorial waters. See also this from Iran’s Press TV, London facing international isolation over refusal to release Iranian tanker. Of note:

It is clear that Spain has been humiliated by the British action, which forced a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel to stand by as British Royal Marines from 42 commando swooped upon the Iranian super-tanker.

The British claim that the military seizure was prompted by the receipt of information from the so-called Gibraltar government has touched off a flurry of ridicule and indignation.

Analysts and experts have been at pains to point out that the so-called Gibraltar government is merely a colonial construct which cannot make any decisions on diplomacy and international affairs without London’s direction.

Provoking a diplomatic incident with Spain is just one consequence of Britain’s illegal action in Spanish territorial waters.

Even if the British version of events is accepted at face value, the UK still risks widespread international condemnation by attempting to enforce sanctions whilst simultaneously violating a sovereign nation’s territorial integrity.

The UK Government and its deployment of commandos in partnership with the Gibraltar authorities seem to be acting on behalf of the US government and its war-hungry neocons. But to defend what precisely? US sanctions against Iran or EU sanctions? Such a seizure of an Iranian oil tanker on its way to deliver its cargo to Syria (through the Mediterranean instead of coming up the Suez Canal), a highly aggressive move, is without precedent for the EU authorities.

We remind readers that the EU-initiated INSTEX system, permitting EU countries to continue trading with Iran in the face of US sanctions (and its pulling out of the JCPOA on a spurious pretext, leaving the EU in a difficult situation with Iran) has just become operational, which would obviously anger Washington:

After the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, France, Germany and the United Kingdom decided to create a joint mechanism to continue doing business with Iran even under US sanctions. The three countries announced on January 31 that the mechanism, dubbed Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), had been set up.

The situation further deteriorated on the one-year anniversary of the US withdrawal from a nuclear deal on May 8 when Iran announced that the country would too cease the implementation of a number of obligations under the JCPOA, in particular those related to restrictions on the stocks of heavy water and enriched uranium.

Tehran substantiated its decision by arguing that the United States had breached the JCPOA and imposed sanctions, all the while the remaining JCPOA signatories failed to appropriately deal with the situation.

South Front sees this UK action as a ‘twofer’, as a way to ramp up tensions once again with Syria’s Assad in addition to Iran:

Later, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador in Tehran, Rob Macaire, over the incident describing it as an “illegal seizure”. Nonetheless, it’s unlikely that the tanker will be released soon. Such operations mark the start of a new round of pressure campaign on the government of the Bashar al-Assad as well as Iranian oil exports in the region.

Last night Macron spent an hour on the phone to Iran’s President Rouhani: Macron, Rouhani Speak for Hour Over Phone on Saturday – Report. This can only be a headache for the EU leadership, as well as bringing matters close to a war footing.

********

Royal Marines seize Iranian tanker under orders from US

CHRIS MARDSDEN

Britain’s seizure of an Iranian supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil is an act of piracy and a major escalation in tensions that threaten to spiral out of control. It was carried out at the behest of the United States as part of the campaign of military provocations and economic sabotage against Tehran.

A detachment of nearly 30 British troops including Marines from 42 Commando raided the tanker, Grace 1, together with police from Gibraltar (see map below), the rocky outcrop seized by Britain following the War of the Spanish Succession under the 1713 Peace of Utrecht that is strategically placed to control access to the Mediterranean Sea.

The UK said it had seized the ship to prevent Iran breaching sanctions against Syria.

The military operation in the early hours of Thursday morning involved a descent by ropes from a Wildcat helicopter and boarding from a speedboat. Grace 1 was travelling through the strait of Gibraltar (pictured). It was identified by Lloyd’s List as having begun its journey from Iran and was controlled by Russian Titan Shipping, a subsidiary of TNC Gulf in Dubai. Iran has since declared ownership.

The 28 crew members were mostly Indian nationals.

Lloyds List says it is the first tanker carrying Iranian oil to head for Europe this year. It represents a significant loss to a country hit by comprehensive US sanctions and more targeted economic penalties by the European Union. In April 2018, Iran shipped 2.5 million barrels per day, which fell to around 300,000 barrels per day in June this year, according to Al Jazeera. Other sources claim that Iran is now exporting only 200,000 bpd and needs to ship at least 600,000 to avoid economic meltdown.

Tehran responded by summoning Britain’s ambassador to its foreign ministry to explain what it described as an “illegal seizure.” An Iranian statement “called for the immediate release of the oil tanker, given that it has been seized at the request of the US, based on the information currently available.”

The most significant comment came from Mohsen Rezai, a former head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and a member of a council that advises the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. He said Iran would respond to bullies “without hesitation.” He warned in a tweet, “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities’ duty to seize a British oil tanker.”

UK Ambassador Rob Macaire reiterated the British position that the vessel had been seized at the request of the “Gibraltarian authorities to enforce sanctions against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.” The Ministry of Defence also insisted that British troops acted under the direction of the Gibraltar police.

Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, added that “we have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas refinery in Syria … the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.”

This is both a transparent and stupid lie. Gibraltar, population 30,000 plus, is as capable of acting independently as a mouse in a cage.

Spain’s acting foreign minister, Josep Borrell, said Gibraltar had seized Grace 1 in response to a request from the US to Britain. El Pais reported that Borrell, from the Socialist Party (PSOE) said the US intelligence implied that the supertanker was in British territorial waters. Madrid will now formally complain of a British incursion into Spanish waters, with Borrell, the EU’s nominee for High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stating, “We are analysing the circumstances and seeing how they affect our sovereignty.”

Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, tweeted, “Excellent news: UK has detained the supertanker Grace I laden with Iranian oil bound for Syria in violation of EU sanctions. America & our allies will continue to prevent regimes in Tehran & Damascus from profiting off this illicit trade.”

It is difficult to gauge how significant the UK/Spanish row is, given the constant tensions over Gibraltar and the degree to which Spain would ever wish to clash with the US. Moreover, a Spanish diplomatic source said, “Spain didn’t want to interfere because the issue was compliance with European Union sanctions.”

Nevertheless, Britain is acting in its chosen role as America’s most loyal imperialist military ally—a stance made more imperative by the deadline for the UK exiting the EU in October.

This is certainly the first time that any EU member state has seized an Iranian tanker at sea and the EU has thus far been seeking to keep alive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Tehran, the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, limiting the country’s uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms, after Trump withdrew US backing last year.

The deal is in grave difficulties, with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warning Wednesday that Tehran would respond to US aggression pushing the Middle East to the brink of war by boosting its uranium enrichment to “any amount that we want” after July 7.

Rouhani said that Iran had removed the core of the Arak reactor and filled it with cement in January 2016, but if the remaining signatories to the 2015 accord did not defy the US and operate according to “the programme and timeframe of all the commitments you’ve given us, we will return the Arak reactor to its previous condition.”

Iran would reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium only if Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China honoured their pledges.

The UK is clearly seeking to stiffen EU resolve to confront Iran on behalf of Washington. Gibraltar’s Picardo stated that he had “written this morning to the Presidents of the European Commission and Council, setting out the details of the sanctions which we have enforced,” while British diplomatic sources told El Pais that they are convinced Madrid and London are working towards the same goal of ensuring that EU sanctions against Syria are respected: “It was done in observance of international law, and we have no doubt whatsoever that the government of Spain also supports the sanctions regime, even though we admit that both governments still have a pending dispute over the territory of Gibraltar.”

The EU’s executive declined to comment Thursday, saying that implementing sanctions was a matter for the member states.

Whatever the level of disagreements between the US and Europe, the danger of war continues to grow. And no imperialist power can be entrusted with the task of opposing it. Europe’s “caution” is nothing more than a reflection of its military weakness against the US and fear that it will be side-lined in the oil-rich Middle East. But its response will be to seek to strengthen its hand against Washington and Wall Street—ultimately by rearmament and the creation of an EU army. A catastrophic war in the Middle East brings with it the danger of world war. It can be stopped only by the independent social and political intervention of the working class.

*******

Original article

Published to The Liberty Beacon from EuropeReloaded.com

••••

The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)

••••

Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.

••••

Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.

••••

Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.