Jeremy Hunt has taken Jeremy Corbyn to task after the Labour leader suggested that Donald Trump is to blame for strained international relations with Iran.
Reacting to the Iranian authorities’ seizure of the tanker on Saturday, Corbyn tweeted: “The UK tanker under Iranian control, and its crew, must be released. Escalation risks a deeper conflict, all sides must show restraint. Trump tearing up the Iran nuclear deal has fuelled confrontation. Its negotiated reinstatement is essential to defuse threat of war in the Gulf.”
Quote tweeting his political colleague, Hunt replied: ″@jeremycorbyn for factual accuracy the UK flagged tanker was seized following Gibraltarian enforcement of EU sanctions preventing oil exports to Syria...nothing to do with @realdonaldtrump however disappointing that must be”
This prompted a flurry of replies from people who argued both in favour of and against Corbyn’s view.
“You clearly didn’t read his post before replying. That wasn’t the point he was making. Trump started it all by posing sanctions. This will lead Iran to try to sell oil to whoever will buy it, since they are under sanction,” one person wrote.
Another responded: “Shit, I find myself agreeing with Hunt for once”.
This comes as Hunt said on Saturday that the seizing of a UK-flagged tanker by Iran “raises very serious questions” about the security of British and international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking after a meeting of the Government’s emergency committee, Cobra, the Foreign Secretary said the vessel was seized in Omani waters in “clear contravention of international law”.
He told reporters inside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that, having spoken to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, Tehran saw the situation as a “tit for tat” following the detention of Grace 1 in Gibraltar.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he explained.
“Grace 1 was detained legally in Gibraltarian waters because it was carrying oil, against EU sanctions, to Syria, and that’s why the Gibraltarian authorities acted totally with respect to due process and totally within the law.
“Stena Impero was seized in Omani waters in clear contravention of international law, it was then forced to sail into Iran.
“This is totally and utterly unacceptable. It raises very serious questions about the security of British shipping, and indeed international shipping, in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Hunt said MPs would be updated about what “further measures” the Government will take on Monday - adding that the threat level had been raised to three.