Forces in UK seek to escalate tensions ‘well beyond issue of ships’ – Iran’s envoy in London

As Tehran and London trade accusations over the seized tankers, Iran’s ambassador in London warns that certain forces in the UK aim to use the crisis to boost tensions even further.

Ramping up pressure would be dangerous and “unwise,” Hamid Hamid Baeidinejad warned in a tweet on his personal account on Sunday.

That’s why it’s key now for the UK government to “contain those domestic political forces who want to escalate existing tension between Iran and the UK well beyond the issue of ships.”

That said, Tehran is “firm and ready for different scenarios,” Baeidinejad said.

The ambassador was referring to the ongoing diplomatic crisis stemming from Britain’s decision to detain a supertanker carrying Iranian oil through the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4.

Tehran branded the move, which London said was done to prevent the delivery of crude to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, an act of piracy and said there would be retaliation. On Friday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard detained a British-flagged ship as it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, accusing it of colliding with a fishing boat and ignoring distress signals.

Britain warned that Tehran faces “serious consequences” for the detention. The crisis comes amid a change of guard in the UK, as former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is expected to be elected new leader of the Conservative Party on Tuesday.

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