Britain said Thursday that several Iranian vessels unsuccessfully tried to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian vessels only turned away after receiving "verbal warnings" from a UK navy vessel accompanying the commercial vessel British Heritage, the UK government said in a statement. "We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region," it said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard denied the allegations, saying if it had received orders to seize any ships it would have executed them immediately.
A statement from the Guard's navy early Thursday said "there were no clashes with alien boats, especially English boats."
The incident was reported a day after Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, warned that Britain will face "repercussions" over the seizure of an Iranian supertanker last week that authorities in Gibraltar suspect was breaching European sanctions on oil shipments to Syria.
The seizure was "mean and wrong," Rouhani was quoted as saying.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denied the supertanker belonged to Iran, saying whoever owned the oil shipment and the vessel could pursue the case through legal avenues.
On Thursday, he said Britain's claim that Iran tried to stop one of their oil tankers in the Gulf is worthless.
"Apparently the British tanker has passed. What they have said themselves and the claims that have been made are for creating tension and these claims have no value," Zarif said.
According to French armed forces chief Francois Lecointre, tensions in the Gulf are unlikely to spiral out of control.
"There is a clash of wills underway between the United States and Iran with posturing, reactions, signals and which can from one day to the next get out of control," Lecointre told CNews television.
"I think it is under control now... I don't think it can spiral out of control but there can be escalation," he added.
