Britain will not take military measures against Iran in the short term？

　　　　　　 CCTV News:The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard announced on the 19th that it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier in the day, the "Supreme Court" of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, ruled to extend the detention of the tanker "Grace I" loaded with Iranian crude oil.

　　　　　　 Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said on the 20th that Iran’s actions are in line with international maritime regulations. Zarif posted on social media that unlike the "piracy" in which Iranian oil tankers were detained in the waters of Gibraltar, Iran’s seizure of the "Steiner Empire" this time is in line with international maritime regulations. Zarif urged Britain not to become a vassal role of the United States in launching economic terrorism.

　　　　　　 Iranian state television reported today (21st) that all the 23 crew members of the oil tanker "Steiner Empire" detained by Iran are safe and in good health, and they are now in bandar abbas. According to Iranian media reports, the detained British oil tanker has many illegal operations.

　　　　　　 Sharif, spokesman of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said in a statement on the 20th that "Steiner Empire" No.19 did not enter from the normal entrance, but tried to enter the sea from the south channel of the strait, which should have been the exit, which affected the safety of the route. In addition, the tanker "shut down the response system and ignored many warnings issued by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps". After receiving the request from the port and marine department of Hormuzgan province, the Iranian navy launched the seizure of the oil tanker.

　　　　　　 The Iranian side said that the Steiner Empire No.19 entered the Strait of Hormuz under the escort of British warships. During the seizure, the Royal Navy warships escorting the oil tanker tried to block the seizure, but the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards took the oil tanker to bandar abbas in southern Iran.

　　　　　　 Earlier in the day, Iranian media also released the latest images of the oil tanker "Steiner Empire" detained in bandar abbas. According to previous news from Iran, the 23 crew members of the tanker will stay on board until the relevant investigation is over.

　　　　　　 In addition, earlier on the 20th local time in Iran, the head of the port and maritime agency in Hormuzgan province also said that the Steiner Empire had collided with an Iranian fishing boat. The owner of the tanker, Steiner Bourcq Company of Sweden, responded in a statement that the "Steiner Empire" tanker "completely abides by navigation and international rules".

　　　　　　 British Foreign Secretary Hunt and Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif telephoned on the 20th and expressed their respective positions. Hunter said that Britain’s seizure of the Steiner Empire by Iran was totally unacceptable, and that Iran should release the tanker as soon as possible. Zarif stressed that Iran’s seizure of oil tankers complies with maritime regulations.

　　　　　　 Some analysts believe that the local authorities in Gibraltar, with the assistance of the British Navy, seized the "Grace I" tanker transporting Iranian crude oil, which was the direct cause of this Iranian action.

　　　　　　 On July 4th, the Gibraltar authorities, with the assistance of the British Navy, detained Grace I on the grounds of violating the EU ban. The Iranian side denied the illegal accusation, demanded the immediate release of the detained tanker and warned Britain not to play "dangerous games".

　　　　　　 On July 19th, the Gibraltar authorities "Supreme Court" ruled to extend the detention period of Grace I..

　　　　　　 Analysts believe that Iran had expected to solve the problem of the oil tanker being detained through consultation, but the decision of the Gibraltar authorities to extend the detention period undoubtedly stimulated Iran to detain the "Steiner Empire" oil tanker or a counter-measure and revenge against the recent British practice. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy hunter said the seizure of Iranian oil tankers was "unacceptable". He also stressed that if things are not resolved, "there will be serious consequences."

　　　　　　 On the 20th local time, within 24 hours of the seizure of the oil tanker "Steiner Empire", the British government held two consecutive high-level security meetings code-named "Cobra" to discuss the countermeasures to deal with this incident. At the same time, Britain also took diplomatic action to express its protest, and called for a meeting with Iran’s highest-ranking diplomatic official in Britain on the 20th.

　　　　　　 Some experts believe that if Britain wants to ensure that its oil tanker will not be detained in the Strait of Hormuz again, it should be equipped with enough surface ships to escort the oil tanker. But in fact, there are not many British ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In addition, Britain is at a critical moment of political change, which will inevitably affect Britain’s decisive handling of this incident. In addition, Britain is also facing the dilemma of Brexit, and it is unlikely to escalate its actions and use military means to solve the problem in the short term. British government officials also said in an interview with the media that they would take strong measures to promote the resolution of the incident, but did not consider military means.