Possibility of veiled Iranian attacks on British ships, British military official

London/Tehran: Iran had attempted to take over a British oil tanker, passing through the Persian Gulf. However, the British destroyer deputed in the region for the protection of the tanker foiled the attempt. Assuming the possibility of more such efforts, the United Kingdom has despatched one more warship to the Persian Gulf. Colonel Richard Kemp, a former senior British military official, advised that the United Kingdom should be prepared for a harsh retaliation against Iran which is trying to take over the British ships.

Last week, the British Marines unit had seized the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 in the Gulf of Gibraltar. The United Kingdom had accused that the Iranian ship was illegally carrying oil for Syria. Agitated by the seizure of the oil tanker, Iran had threatened to seize British ships passing through the Persian Gulf. The patrol vessels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards even attempted to capture a ship. But the attempt was foiled due to the alertness of the British destroyer present in the Persian Gulf.

As the tension over the issue raged, the United Kingdom even expressed willingness to release the Iranian ship. The United Kingdom had proposed that if Iran is willing to guarantee, that it will not supply oil to Syria, it will release the Iranian tanker. But Iranian Foreign Minister, Jawad Zarif, announced that Iran would continue to provide oil to Syria, rejecting the British proposal whereas, the Iranian military officials warned that the United Kingdom would have to regret the action taken, against the Iranian oil tanker.

The former British military officials and analysts have warned that repercussions of the tension in the Gulf of Gibraltar, might be felt directly in the Persian Gulf. Colonel Richard Kemp, a former senior British military official, claimed that although the attempt to take over the British tanker, in the Persian Gulf was foiled Iran could resort to veiled attacks on British ships, in the Persian Gulf.

Against this background, the United Kingdom has despatched another advanced warship, HMS Duncan for the security of the British ships in the Persian Gulf. The United Kingdom seems to have made preparations for strong retaliation against Iranian threats. Colonel Kemp said that if Iran attacked British ships, the United Kingdom should be prepared to retaliate in a way that should be a lesson for Iran. British military analyst, Colonel Hamish De Bretton-Gordon, warned that a small mistake by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz would be enough to spark a conflict in the region.