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Iran detains British oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz — media

Iran says that the British tanker was detained over violation of international rules

© EPA-EFE/TOMMY CHIA/STENA BULK/HANDOUT

MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, an elite unit of the Iranian armed forces) have said they detained the British oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz, Press TV said on its Twitter account on Friday.

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Russia urges Iran, West not to aggravate situation in Strait of Hormuz

According to the IRGC, the tanker was detained over the violation of international rules and was escorted to the shore for inspections.

Following the incident, Reuters said citing its sources that Britain’s government emergency committee would hold an extraordinary meeting.

The situation around Iran deteriorated after the June 13 incident in the Strait of Hormuz when two tankers caught fire after presumable attacks. The United States placed responsibility for the incident on Iran. The United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia supported these accusations. Teheran rejects these allegations.

On June 20, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have downed a US drone over the country’s southern Hormozgan Province. US Central Command Spokesperson Bill Urban, in turn, said that the unmanned aerial vehicle had been flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. According to the media, following these developments, US President Donald Trump approved military strikes against Iran but pulled back from launching them ten minutes before the operation was due to begin.

On Thursday, Trump said that the USS Boxer warship had downed an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz, which was flying too close to the vessel. Iran responded by saying that it has not lost any drones in the Strait of Hormuz or elsewhere.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, April 19th

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