The United States and the U.K. are one step closer to going to war with Iran after a very aggressive move by the Revolutionary Guard.
According to reports late Friday, Iran has now seized two British-operated oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Shoots Down Drone
Iran has been getting extremely aggressive over the last month.
Sanctions imposed by the United States are clearly putting the squeeze on and Iran may feel the only way out is to go to war.
In yet another aggressive move, Iran sent a drone within 1,000 yards of a U.S. Navy ship.
The Iranians were told several times to stand down but continued to approach the USS Boxer.
When the crew of the ship felt as though the drone was in a threatening position, it was taken down using electronic jamming equipment.
Prior to the drone being downed, U.S. military officials said there had been several other tense interactions with the Iranians that day.
Among those were an Iranian helicopter getting dangerously close to the Boxer as well as several Iranian speedboats getting to within 500 yards of the Boxer.
While President Trump informed the nation of the downed drone, Iranians denied it had ever happened, and actually stated the U.S. probably shot down one of its own drones by mistake.
Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi stated, “Contrary to Trump’s delusional and groundless claim, all drones belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including the one mentioned by the US President, have returned to their bases safe and sound after carrying out their scheduled surveillance and control operations.”
U.S. officials have obviously denied that claim and stated there is no chance they shot down one of their own drones and the aircraft taken down absolutely belonged to Iran.
Capturing Western Tankers
While the Iranians are denying the attack happened, they have clearly decided to step up aggressions even further.
The shipping company that owned the Stena Impero, one of the ships captured, released a statement about the seizure.
Stena Bulk stated the ship “was approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters.
“We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran.”
While the shipping company maintains the ship was in international waters, Iran stated the ship was taken due to “non-compliance with international maritime laws and regulations.”
Not long after that ship was taken, a second ship was also captured.
This was a Liberian-flagged ship, but it was also being operated by a British company (Iran has since stated it released one of the tankers).
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt stated, “I’m extremely concerned by the seizure of two naval vessels by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz.”
He further stated, “Our Ambassador in Tehran is in contact with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve the situation and we are working closely with international partners.
“These seizures are unacceptable.
“It is essential that freedom of navigation is maintained and that all ships can move safely and freely in the region.”
National Security Council Spokesperson Garrett Marquis stated, “This is the second time in just over a week the UK has been the target of escalatory violence by the Iranian regime.
“The U.S. will continue to work with our allies and partners to defend our security and interests against Iran’s malign behavior.”
The United States is now reportedly moving military assets into place to serve as escorts through this strait for allied-based tankers.
This situation could easily turn into a conflict if Iran decides to strike a ship while U.S. forces are in place.
While the United States maintains it wants Iran to come to the table, Iran seems to be dead set on proving how dangerous it is and escalating tensions with the West.
Source: Fox News
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