UK navy heard in audio trying to thwart Iran ship seizure

In an audio recording released Sunday, a British naval officer can be heard saying the transit of a British-flagged vessel through the Strait of Hormuz must not be impaired under international law as Iranian naval forces warn the vessel to change course.

The audio, released by maritime security risk firm Dryad Global, shows how the British navy was unable to prevent the ship's seizure by Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces on Friday.

The seizure has prompted condemnation from the UK and its European allies as they continue to call for a de-escalation of tensions in the critical waterway.

In the recording, an Iranian officer can be heard telling the Stena Impero to change course, saying: "You obey, you will be safe."
The British officer then tells an Iranian patrol boat: "Please confirm that you are not intending to violate international law by unlawfully attempting to board the MV Stena."
"A new wave of extreme one-sided adventurism from the United States is the main theme and the challenge that we all face in one way or another," he said. "It's threatening peace and stability all around the world in different ways."
Heiko Maas said in comments to Bild newspaper's Sunday edition that the seizure of the British tanker and the temporary detention of another has made the situation in the Gulf "a lot more serious and dangerous than it has been."