Britain's new foreign secretary has insisted the UK will not barter over tankers with Iran.

Speaking at a summit in Thailand, Dominic Raab said that if Iran wants to come in from the cold, it needs to behave responsibly.

His comments follow those from Iran's ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad, who suggested to Sky News on Tuesday that if Britain released its tanker, then a UK-flagged vessel might be freed by Iran.

Image: Dominic Raab at the summit in Thailand

During the summit in Bangkok - his first trip as foreign secretary - Mr Raab said: "We are not going to barter - if people or nations have detained UK-flagged illegally then the rule of law and rule of international law must be upheld.

"We are not going to barter a ship that was detained legally with a ship that was detained illegally. That's not the way that Iran will come in from the cold," he said.


"So I am afraid some kind of barter or haggle or linkage is not on the table."

Tensions have spiked between Iran and Britain after Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged tanker last month.

That came after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accused of violating sanctions on Syria.

On 4 July, Royal Marines were involved in the seizure of Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar, suspecting the ship of taking oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Iran called it an act of "piracy".

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Days later, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps seized British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz.

The ship and its 23 crew remain in Iranian custody.

Iranian ambassador: Tanker 'was not going to Syria'

Mr Baeidinejad said a few days ago the release of the tanker could help secure the freedom of the British-flagged vessel detained by Tehran.

He told Sky News on Tuesday: "Of course one issue can help resolution of another issue but these are two separate issues that need to be tackled separately."

He also said: "We're very keen to see the UK is doing all the measures necessary to release as soon as possible the Grace 1."

During his Sky News interview, Mr Baeidinejad stood by Iran's initial explanation for the seizure of Stena Impero, saying: "That ship collided with a fishing boat in the area...the fishing boat was damaged and there have been injuries."