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New video from Iran shows Guard warning away UK warship

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AP Tehran
Last Updated : Jul 29 2019 | 6:55 PM IST

In new video released Monday, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer is heard telling a British warship not to interfere or put their "life in danger" as the paramilitary force, using speedboats and a helicopter, seized a UK-flagged commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month.

The video includes a shot apparently filmed on the day of the July 19 incident from above the British warship Foxtrot 236 that was in the vicinity of the UK-flagged Stena Impero, showing the British navy unable to prevent Iran's seizure of the ship in the critical waterway.

It also offers additional audio to that released by maritime security risk firm Dryad Global, which last week made public a portion of the exchange between the Foxtrot and the Iranian Guard during the incident.

The seizure of the Stena Impero further heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman. The narrow waterway is of critical importance to the world's energy supplies because one-fifth of all global crude exports passes through the strait.

Tensions there have soared following President Donald Trump's decision last year to withdraw from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and impose sanctions on Iran that have targeted its oil exports, among other key industries.

In the nearly two-minute video released by the Iranian Guard, an officer is heard telling the Foxtrot: "You are ordered to not interfere in my operation." The Iranian officer repeats: "You are required not to interfere in this issue."

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First Published: Jul 29 2019 | 6:55 PM IST

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