Geneva, July 24: The United Kingdom (UK) has sent its mediator to Tehran to discuss the releasing a seized British-flagged oil tanker by the Islamic Republic a few days back, Iranian supreme leader’s office reported on Wednesday, as per the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
According to Reuters news reports, Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpayegani offered no information about the UK mediator’s visit to Tehran but however, made an ironic appearance to British involvement during the colonial situation in Iranian internal affairs.
Tensions between the UK and Iran have soared since last Friday when the Islamic Republic seized a British tanker, named Stena Impero, stating it had collided with a fishing ship.
“A country that at one time appointed ministers and lawyers in Iran has reached a point where they send a mediator and plead for their ship to be freed,” Mohammadi-Golpayegani was quoted as saying by Tasnim agency.
Senior Iranian authorities have cautioned against any attempts to establish an international alliance to secure shipping in the Gulf, with Tehran’s first vice president warning the move will just carry instability to the locale.
The reaction comes after Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Italy on Tuesday supported a British proposal for a European maritime force after Iran captured a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al-Jazeera news reports.
Relations between Iran and the UK have been stressed since British officials seized an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar earlier this month on doubt it was shipping crude oil to Syria in violation of the European Union (EU) sanctions.
Iran has blamed Britain for acting at the command of the United States and requested the immediate release arrival of its vessel.