Adrian Darya vessel needs no escort; IRGC commander told ILNA

Speaking to ILNA correspondent, He rejected the rumor that seizure of the British tanker was act of counteraction by Iran and denied that it was a tit-for-tat response, and added "the British vessel was seized after the Adrian Darya (Grace 1) was seized but it had committed three violations."

On July 19, Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important waterway for oil shipments.

Tangsiri said "The vessel's radar and its GPS were off and there has also been a maritime collision that is likely to be related to the British vessel."

"There is no connection whatsoever between these two vessels," he said.

Iran’s deputy transport minister Mohammad Rastad said a court in the southern port of Bandar Abbas would rule on the ship's fate but no court date has been announced.

The Grace 1 vessel, renamed Adrian Darya after the seizure, is a Korean-made oil tanker owned by Russia which is currently leased to one of Iran's shipping lines

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Tuesday that the United States would take every action it could to prevent the tanker sailing in the Mediterranean from delivering oil to Syria in contravention of U.S. sanctions. Iran has denied the tanker was ever headed to Syria.

Separately, Iran said on Wednesday that an Iranian oil tanker has broken down in the Red Sea but the crews are safe and repairs are underway.

The report identified the disabled tanker as HELM. A vessel with the same name is on a list of individuals, companies and vessels that are subject to U.S. sanctions, according to the U.S. Treasury's website.

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