The speaker of Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, has announced that the detaining of the British oil tanker Stena Impero on July 20 was Iran's response to the seizure of Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar on July 4.
"The British committed an act of piracy, and the IRGC responded to them,” he said.
Larijani made the comment in response to a question by a hard-line MP who had asked why the parliament did not express appreciation to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for their role in seizing the British-flagged vessel.
Earlier, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had said the detention of the Iranian oil tanker "would not remain unanswered."
In another development, Guardian Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai described Iran's act as "internationally acceptable reciprocal action consistent with international law."
The IRGC had declared on July 19 that it had detained the British-operated oil tanker for violating international regulations.
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