THE North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has warned Iran to cease and desist, after condemning it for a deadly attack on an Israeli-operated tanker, reports Brussels-based Euroactiv and Agence France-Presse.
Separately, the European Union also condemned the 'unacceptable' attack and 'any action that would be detrimental to peace and stability in this area'.
The United States, Britain and Israel say Iran launched the attack on the vessel, Liberian-flagged 49,992-dwt Mercer Street, off the coast of Oman last week, killing a British security guard and a Romanian crew member.
Iran denies involvement and warns it would respond to any ??adventurism?? from its western foes. Britain and Romania are allies in NATO, alongside the United States which has promised to lead a 'collective response' to the incident.
'Freedom of navigation is vital for all nato Allies, and must be upheld in accordance with international law,' said NATO spokesman Dylan White.
Asphalt and bitumen tanker MV Asphalt Princess was reportedly boarded by up to nine armed men in the Gulf of Oman have left the vessel and all those remaining on board are safe, officials say.
A UK maritime security agency said the potential hijacking of the Panama-flagged 9,748-dwt Asphalt Princess had ended but gave no further details.
The bitumen tanker was seized heading into the congested approach to the Strait of Hormuz. It is not clear who seized the ship, but analysts suspected Iranian forces.
The incident occurred less than a week after an oil tanker operated by an Israeli-owned company was attacked by a drone off Oman, killing two security guards - one British and the other Romanian.
The US, UK and Israel blamed Iran for the attack - a claim it strongly denies.
BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says the MV Asphalt Princess is owned by a Dubai-based company that had one of its ships hijacked two years ago by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
He says that, according to reports, up to nine armed men boarded the vessel as it neared the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's maritime oil supplies passes.
The UKMTO had earlier advised shipping services near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman to exercise extreme caution.
Earlier in the day, four oil tankers reported that they were 'not under command', which usually means that a vessel has lost power and cannot steer. One of the ships later began moving, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Iran's foreign ministry said reports involving several ships on Tuesday were 'suspicious' and warned against any effort to 'create a false atmosphere' against Tehran.
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Separately, the European Union also condemned the 'unacceptable' attack and 'any action that would be detrimental to peace and stability in this area'.
The United States, Britain and Israel say Iran launched the attack on the vessel, Liberian-flagged 49,992-dwt Mercer Street, off the coast of Oman last week, killing a British security guard and a Romanian crew member.
Iran denies involvement and warns it would respond to any ??adventurism?? from its western foes. Britain and Romania are allies in NATO, alongside the United States which has promised to lead a 'collective response' to the incident.
'Freedom of navigation is vital for all nato Allies, and must be upheld in accordance with international law,' said NATO spokesman Dylan White.
Asphalt and bitumen tanker MV Asphalt Princess was reportedly boarded by up to nine armed men in the Gulf of Oman have left the vessel and all those remaining on board are safe, officials say.
A UK maritime security agency said the potential hijacking of the Panama-flagged 9,748-dwt Asphalt Princess had ended but gave no further details.
The bitumen tanker was seized heading into the congested approach to the Strait of Hormuz. It is not clear who seized the ship, but analysts suspected Iranian forces.
The incident occurred less than a week after an oil tanker operated by an Israeli-owned company was attacked by a drone off Oman, killing two security guards - one British and the other Romanian.
The US, UK and Israel blamed Iran for the attack - a claim it strongly denies.
BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says the MV Asphalt Princess is owned by a Dubai-based company that had one of its ships hijacked two years ago by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
He says that, according to reports, up to nine armed men boarded the vessel as it neared the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's maritime oil supplies passes.
The UKMTO had earlier advised shipping services near Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman to exercise extreme caution.
Earlier in the day, four oil tankers reported that they were 'not under command', which usually means that a vessel has lost power and cannot steer. One of the ships later began moving, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Iran's foreign ministry said reports involving several ships on Tuesday were 'suspicious' and warned against any effort to 'create a false atmosphere' against Tehran.
SeaNews Turkey
