Three ships belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have “attempted to impede” a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the government said in a statement.
The vessels approached the BP-owned British Heritage in the Gulf on Wednesday, asking it to stop in nearby Iranian waters, but withdrew after a Royal Navy warship issued them “verbal warnings” over radio.
American defence personnel said the Navy frigate HMS Montrose, which was accompanying the tanker, “pointed its guns at the [Iranian] boats”, according to US media reports. The Ministry of Defence had no immediate comment when contacted by The Independent.
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“It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage,” one of the US officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The British government statement said: “We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.”
Tehran had warned hours before the incident that Britain would face “repercussions” after it seized an Iranian oil tanker last week.
Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, called the seizure of the Grace 1 supertanker “mean and wrong” after royal marines boarded the ship off the coast of Gibraltar on suspicion it was breaking EU sanctions by carrying oil to Syria.
“You [Britain] are an initiator of insecurity and you will understand its repercussions,” he warned, calling for the “full security” of international shipping lanes.
He added: “Now you are so hopeless that, when one of your tankers wants to move in the region, you have to bring your frigates [to escort it] because you are scared. Then why do you commit such acts? You should instead allow navigation to be safe.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran’s foreign minister, denied the Grace 1 belonged to Iran.
He said whoever owned the oil shipment and the vessel could pursue the case through legal avenues.
Iran had earlier summoned the British ambassador over what it called the “illegal interception” of the ship.
Tracking data showed that the tanker made a slow trip around the southern tip of Africa, instead of taking Egypt’s Suez Canal, a quicker route to reach the Mediterranean.
It was documented as loading fuel oil in the Iraqi port of Basra in December, though Basra did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off.
The latest incident comes amid a period of heightened tensions between Iran and the US, following the unravelling of the 2015 nuclear deal, which Donald Trump walked away from in last year.
Tehran has offered to return to the agreement, but the US president has rejected the deal, arguing it was too generous to Iran and did not address its involvement in regional conflicts.
In May, the US dispatched an aircraft carrier, bombers and fighter jets to the Persian Gulf in response to alleged Iranian threats.
The US has also accused Iran of being involved in the bombing of oil tankers in the Gulf and said it shot down an American drone in international airspace.
Iran has denied any involvement in the attacks on the tankers and said the drone had veered into its airspace.
Additional reporting by Reuters
