text: Bahrain Slams Iran for Detention of British Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz | Asharq AL-awsat
  Sat, 20 Jul 2019 12:31:23 +0000
  https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1821486/bahrain-slams-iran-detention-british-oil-tanker-strait-hormuz
  https://aawsat.com/node/1821486
  Saturday, 20 July, 2019 - 12:30
  A British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero which was seized by the Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Friday is photographed in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, Saturday, July 20, 2019. AP
  Bahrain condemned strongly the Iranian detention of a UK oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain said in a statement on Saturday that Bahrain express its solidarity with the UK against all threats to their interests.
  The ministry also stressed the need for Tehran to stop these irresponsible actions, and its continuing threats to maritime traffic, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
  Bahrain also called on the international community to take firm steps to deter and respond to Iran and to comply with international maritime safety laws and treaties in the interests of international peace and security.
  For their part, France and Germany voiced their concern on Saturday over the seizure of the tanker.
  "We have learned with great concern of the seizure of a British vessel by Iranian forces," France's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
  "We strongly condemn it and express our full solidarity with the United Kingdom."
  Meanwhile, Reuters reported a German Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying: "We urge Iran to release (this)... ship and its crew immediately."
  "A further escalation of regional tensions "would be very dangerous (and)... undermine all ongoing efforts to find a way out of the current crisis," the spokesman noted in his statement.