Iran’s president has reminded the global community that it should be thankful for Tehran’s work on preserving security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, while stressing a UK tanker there was seized on legal grounds.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently seized a British-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it had violated maritime law. The incident followed Britain’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar several weeks ago. The UK said it had been transporting oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.

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“The Strait of Hormuz has a very important location, it’s not to be taken as a joke and it’s [no place] for [any] country to ignore international regulations,” Hassan Rouhani said at a cabinet session on Wednesday.

Rouhani also praised the “very accurate, professional” job done by the IRGC in seizing the British ship because “it had refused all the orders and warnings.”

I believe that the whole world must be grateful to the Revolutionary Guard for ensuring the security of the Persian Gulf.

He pointed out that protecting the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf lies on Iran’s shoulders mainly and “is not the others’ business.”

We will not let anyone lack in discipline in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, but we are not looking for military tensions.

Rouhani emphasized that the Islamic Republic does not seek a quarrel with the UK, and if the latter released the Iranian tanker in Gibraltar it will receive an equal response from Tehran.

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