Royal Navy units warded off a group of Iranian gunboats attempting to seize a British oil tanker that was sailing across the Strait of Hormuz.
There are conflicting reports as to whether or not shots were fired during the incident. British sources say that the tanker’s escort, the HMS Montrose, did take aim at the incoming threats but the gunboats turned away after radio warnings were issued.
The incident comes amidst heightened tensions in the region, and about a week after an Iran-operated tanker bound for Syria was seized by British officials in Gibraltar.
The Iranian Government condemned that action as an ‘illegal interception’, and vowed retaliation.