At least 23 sailors are reportedly being held by Iran after 2 British tankers seized in Strait of Hormuz

Hamed Malekpour/Tasnim news Agency via REUTERS

Military units of the Islamic Revolution Ground Corps are seen on boats in December 2018.

• Iran is reportedly holding at least 23 sailors after it seized a UK-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz.
• A second tanker, owned by a British shipping company, was also seized by Iran on Friday.
• The Stena Impero's owner, the Sweden-based Stena, and its UK-based operator, Northern Marine Management, in a statement said they have not been able to contact the crew members.
• "There are 23 seafarers aboard," the statement added. "There have been no reported injuries and their safety is of primary concern to both owners and managers."
• "Their crews comprise a range of nationalities, but we understand there are no British citizens on board either ship," British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a statement.
• These incidents appear to be retaliation for British Royal Marines seizing an Iranian tanker near Gilbraltar earlier this month.
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At least 23 sailors are reportedly being held by Iran after the seizure two British tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.

Iranian state media said the British tanker was seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Stena Impero's owner, the Sweden-based Stena, and its UK-based operator, Northern Marine Management, in a statement said they have not been able to contact the crew members.

The statement said, "Stena Bulk and Northern Marine Management can confirm that at approximately 1600 BST on 19th July UK registered vessel Stena Impero (built 2018, 49,683 DWT) was approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters. We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran."

"There are 23 seafarers aboard," the statement added. "There have been no reported injuries and their safety is of primary concern to both owners and managers. The priority of both vessel owner Stena Bulk and ship manager Northern Marine Management is the safety and welfare of the crew."

Read more: Iran reportedly seized 2 British tankers on Friday in a major escalation against the US and UK

British Foreign Secretery Jeremy Hunt confirmed a second tanker was also seized on Friday, and reports indicate it was the UK-owned, Liberian-flagged MV Mesdar. Not much information is available on the second tanker, but Hunt said, "Their crews comprise a range of nationalities, but we understand there are no British citizens on board either ship."

This came just one day after a US Navy ship took down an Iranian drone in the area, though Iran has rejected the US government's claims and said no unmanned aicraft were lost in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else," Iran's deputy foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, tweeted early Friday.

Last month, Iran shot down a US Navy drone in the region, which nearly prompted a military strike from President Donald Trump.

And earlier this month UK forces seized an Iranian tanker off the coast of the British territory of Gilbraltar, and Friday's ship seizures could be retaliation for that.

The IRGC on Thursday also released footage that showed two of its patrol boats circling the UAE-owned, Panama-flagged Riah tanker. The Riah had been missing since Sunday.

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