The video will start in 8 Cancel

News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A British oil tanker was “steered” towards Iranian waters by false GPS co-ordinates sent by Russian spy technology, it is now feared.

Security sources say GCHQ and MI6 are investigating whether Iranian intelligence transmitted spoof signals to the skipper of the Stena Impero.

The tanker was seized on Friday and dramatic footage released on Saturday by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard showed the moment commandos swooped.

As a helicopter hovered above, six balaclava-clad soldiers abseiled on to the deck armed with machine guns.

A number of speedboats darted around the tanker and it was all captured on film – suggesting the whole thing had been a trap laid by Tehran.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

On Saturday a defence source said a Royal Navy warship raced to help the vessel but arrived 10 minutes too late.

The tanker was still in Omani waters when the orders were sent, but by the time HMS Montrose arrived the Impero had been redirected into Iranian waters.

tampered

Security sources said Iranian drones may have tampered with GPS signals.

They told the Sunday Mirror that investigators will look into whether there is a technological footprint – and whether western spy planes in the area picked up any suspicious signals.

A western security source said: “Russia has the technology to spoof GPS and may have helped Iran in this venture as it was extremely brazen. It would make British shipping extremely vulnerable and will be of grave concern to Royal Navy warships in the region.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Russian intelligence have worked very closely in Syria, protecting and promoting their interests.”

News of Russia’s apparent involvement – which could only happen with President Putin’s approval – comes after spooks learned they have the ability to fool ships into false location readings.

It means the British tanker may have thought it was a safe distance from Iranian waters – only to stray off course.

A report in April found 10,000 “spoofing” incidents conducted by Russia.

The Centre for Advanced Defence said most discovered over a 12-month period had involved ships, but some were seen around airports.

British commanders are surprised by the brazen and confident nature of the seizure, which adds weight to the possibility of GPS interference.

The former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West, on Saturday demanded convoys be deployed to support ships travelling through the Gulf to prevent Iran seizing more vessels.

He said: “If Iranian ships try to attack them you sink them. They are the ones who have escalated things by attacking one of our merchant ships.”

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted the vessel was seized in Omani waters – in “clear contravention of international law”.

After a COBRA briefing on Saturday Mr Hunt said the incident “raises very serious questions about the security of British shipping and indeed international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.

Mr Hunt said MPs would be updated about what “further measures” the Government will take on Monday. He said: “Our priority continues to be to find a way to de-escalate the situation.

“We need that ship released and we continue to be very concerned about the safety and welfare of the 23 crew.”

It was initially suggested by Iran that the tanker had been in collision with a fishing boat, violating maritime rules.

But later Iran linked the seizure with Britain’s role in detaining a tanker off Gibraltar earlier this month.

It was carrying Iranian oil bound for Syria, in breach of EU sanctions.

A spokesman for Iran’s Guardian Council was quoted as saying “the rule of reciprocal action is well known in international law” and that Tehran made the right decision in the face of an “illegitimate economic war and seizure of oil tankers”.

While Britain seeks a diplomatic solution it is feared Iran’s IRGC or its proxy forces – local terrorist militia – could strike in Iraq and Syria if international tensions escalate.

On Saturday Stena released a statement saying the tanker is anchored at Bandar Bahonar and the crew – of Indian, Russian, Latvian and Filipino nationality – “are in good health”.

(Image: MOD)

It also emerged Britain is to a send nuclear-powered attack submarine to the Gulf, but sources stressed that it would perform a purely defensive role.

More than a fifth of the world’s oil moves through the Strait of Hormuz – around 17 million barrels per day.

And rising tensions could mean higher petrol prices.

The AA’s Luke Bosdet said: “Our big fear is that the cost of fuel may get worse.”

Countdown to the crisis

Current tensions in the gulf have been simmering for more than a month leading up to the capture of the UK-flagged Stena Impero.

June 13: Two US oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz were attacked in an assault that left one ablaze and adrift. US President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the incidents.

Iran denied involvement in the tanker attacks and accused the US of promoting an ‘Iranophobic’ campaign.

June 20: A US military drone was downed by Tehran, with Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani claiming it had violated their airspace.

Mr Trump then canceled retaliatory strikes against Iran after he claimed he was told 150 people could die.

July 4: Royal Marines from 42 Commando were involved in an operation to seize a supertanker off Gibraltar suspected of carrying oil destined for Bashar Assad’s Syrian regime.

They worked alongside authorities in Gibraltar to detain the Iranian tanker Grace 1, which was believed to be heading to the Banyas refinery in breach of EU sanctions. In response, Iran’s revolutionary guard warned a British oil tanker could be seized in retaliation.

July 10: Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose drove off three Iranian vessels which tried to stop the commercial ship British Heritage.

July 11: Police in Gibraltar said they had arrested the captain and chief officer of the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 in relation to suspected violations of EU sanctions on Syria.

Two days later the force said the captain, chief officer and two second officers of the vessel had been conditionally bailed without charge.

July 13: In a telephone call with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt offered to facilitate Grace 1’s release in return for guarantees from Tehran that it would not breach EU sanctions on the Assad regime in Syria.

July 15: Mr Hunt attended a Brussels meeting of EU foreign ministers on the issue of the Iran nuclear deal.

Both he and Tory leadership rival Boris Johnson later ruled out supporting Mr Trump should he pursue military action in the Gulf.

July 17: US officials said they suspected Iran had seized a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates as it travelled through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran later said its Revolutionary Guard had seized a foreign oil tanker and its crew of 12 for smuggling fuel out of the country.

July 18: Mr Trump said the USS Boxer had shot down an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored calls to stand down.

Iranian military officials denied one of its drones had been lost in the Strait of Hormuz.

July 19: Two oil tankers are reported to have been seized by Iranian authorities in the Persian Gulf.

The Stena Impero, registered in the UK, was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz for “violating international maritime rules”, the semi-official Fars news agency said.

A second oil tanker, the Liberia-flagged Mesdar, managed by Glasgow-based firm Norbulk Shipping UK, appeared to veer off course towards the Iranian coast.

The Mesdar’s operator said the ship was boarded by armed guards but the crew were left “safe and well” and allowed to continue their voyage.

Jeremy Hunt called the ships’ seizure “unacceptable” and attended a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee Cobra.