The Week Junior UK - Issue 189, 27 July 2019

O

n19July,Irantook control of an oil tanker that

wastravelling alongashippingroute between

the countries of Iran and Oman in the Middle East. An

oil tanker isaship transportingalarge quantity of oil.

Iran said they took the tanker,which wasdisplaying

the UK flag, because itwasbreaking international

rules. The UK says the tankerwastaken illegally.

Whathappened?

The tanker, aship called the Stena

Impero, wassailing through

the Strait of Hormuz–a

route thatconnects the

Persian Gulf and the Gulf

of Oman. The Stena

Imperowas boarded

by the Iranian armed

forces, who took it

to the Iranian port

of Bandar Abbas.

The HMS Montrose,

aBritish Royal Navy

ship,was in the area but

couldn’t get thereint ime to

stop it being taken offcourse.

The oil tanker hasacrewof

people. On 22 July,Iranreleased pictures

and video of the crew speaking to Iranian officials on

boardthe ship.

Why did Iran seize the tanker?

It is thoughtthatIranseizedthe Stena Impero

in response to the UK taking the ship Grace1,

an Iranian oil tanker,on4July.Grace 1was seized

by British Royal Marines in Gibraltar,aUKterritory

off the southcoast of Spain, to stop it fromcarrying

oil to Syria. Thereisaban on oil and other goods

being transported to Syria, wherethereisawar.

This rulewasintroduced to punish the

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad,

who many say isresponsible

for the fighting there.

Howdid Iran

respond?

After Grace1was

taken, Iran accused the

UK of piracy (attacking

or robbing ships at

sea). Mohsen Rezaei,

amember of the Iranian

government, said,“If

Britain does notrelease

the Iranian oil tanker,itis

the authorities’duty to seize

aBritish oil tanker.”

What has the UK said?

The UK Governmenthas called for Iran torelease

the Stena Imperoand its crew.On22July,the

UK accused Iran ofcommitting piracy and announced

plans to protect ships travelling along theroute.

The Government said it would work with other

Europeancountries to stop Iran from seizing

moreships.

Whatelsehas beenhappening in the area?

In May,four ships wereattacked in the Gulf of Oman.

The US claimed Iranwasresponsible, but Iran denies

this. Sincethen, Iranian and US drones (unmanned

planes used to observe what is happening below)

have been shot down by both sides.

Why is there tension with Iran?

Relations betweenIranand the US haveworsened

since last year,when US president DonaldTrump

pulled out ofadealthat wasintended to stop

Iran developing nuclear weapons (powerful

bombs). The deal, known as the Joint

Comprehensive Plan of Action,wasagreed

between China, France, Germany,Iran, Russia, the

UK and the US. Under the 2015 deal, Iranreduced

its nuclear programme inexchange for sanctions

being lifted. Sanctions arepenalties that prevented

Iran from trading fuel and goods. The US has now

reintroduced some of these sanctions, which has

angered Iran andcaused tension between the

countries that signed the deal.

The Week Junior•27 July 2019

s week’s big news

IranseizesBritishoil tanker

2

Iran’ sGrace 1

ship wastaken.

The Strait of Hormuz is a

stretch ofwater that lies

between Iran and Oman. It

connects thePersian Gulf to

the Gulf of Oman. It isavery

important shippingroute;

around 17 million barrels of

oil pass through it every day.

The passagewayforships is

narrow;just two miles wide

in either direction. Ships have

been attacked therebefore,

but it is the onlywayof

carrying goods from the Gulf to

the rest of the world by sea.

The Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian speedboat

circlingStena Impero.

Iran

Gulf

of Oman

Oman

DIDYOU

KNOW?

Up until 1935, the land

nowknown as Iran

was

calledP

ersia.Pe

rsia had one

ofthe gr

eatestempir

esof

theancient

world.