Iran Says All Crew Members Aboard Seized British-Flagged Tanker Are Safe

DUBAI, July 21 (Reuters) The crew of the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker seized by Irans Revolutionary Guards are all safe, the head of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran in Hormozgan Province told state TV on Sunday.

All 23 crew members aboard the ship are safe and in good health in Bandar Abbas port, Allahmorad Afifipour said.

Britain has denounced Irans seizure of the oil tanker in the Gulf on Friday as a hostile act, rejecting Tehrans explanation that it had seized the vessel because it had been involved in an accident.

The British government is threatening \"serious consequences\" if its oil tanker isn't released by Iran pic.twitter.com/QJm8UHsOqn

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The British government is threatening "serious consequences" if its oil tanker isn't released by Iran pic.twitter.com/QJm8UHsOqn
Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) July 20, 2019

Stena Bulk, the vessels Sweden-based owners, said on Saturday they were preparing a formal request to visit the crew, who are from India, Latvia, the Philippines and Russia.

Stena said in a statement that Iran had asked that a formal request be made for the visit.

Britain, a party to Irans 2015 multinational nuclear deal, is planning to target Iran with sanctions in the aftermath of the tanker seizure, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.

The seizure follows weeks of threats from Tehran to retaliate for Britains seizure of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 near Gibraltar on July 4 which it suspected was violating sanctions on Syria.

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