Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 24-07-2019
An Iranian academic and expert on American studies and lecturer at the University of Tehran says the UK’s hijacking of the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 on 4 July, which was abiding by international law, is an act of piracy carried out at the behest of the US government.
Iran, in apparent retaliation for the British capture of its tanker seized the Stena Impero oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.
The UK has now called on Iran to release the British-flagged tanker and its crew immediately, describing the seizure of the oil tanker by the Iranian forces as illegal.
Speaking to Radio Islam from Tehran, Professor Mohammad Marandi says the action by the UK is typical of Western governments as part of their maximum pressure campaign to impose as much suffering on Iran as they can.
“The Western Empire is not used to seeing non-western countries giving them their ‘medicine’, the same sort of ‘medicine’ they give others.”
Marandi says the Iranians have no interest in negotiating with President Donald Trump or the US until they return to implementing the nuclear deal.
“Trump wants to bully Iran into accepting new terms and new conditions and Iran says very specifically that ‘we will not negotiate under duress and we will fight back very hard at all levels when confronted with US aggression.”
Marandi says the release of the British tanker is dependent on the release of the Iranian ship by the UK.
Listen to the interview with Professor Mohammad Marandi
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