UK rejects idea of tanker swap with Iran – foreign secretary

Britain has rejected the idea of releasing an Iranian tanker in exchange for a British-flagged vessel seized by the Islamic Republic in the Gulf, Reuters reports.

Tensions have spiked between Iran and Britain since Tehran seized a British-flagged tanker earlier this month. The move came after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accused of “violating sanctions” on Syria.

“There is no quid pro quo,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told BBC radio on Monday. “This is not about some kind of barter. This is about the international law and the rules of the international legal system being upheld and that is what we will insist on.”

President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday he hopes British PM Boris Johnson’s “familiarity” with Iran will help “to get rid of existing obstacles in the growth and expansion of relations between us.”