Britain on Monday (July 29th) ruled out swapping seized oil tankers with Iran as a second UK warship arrived in the Gulf to conduct convoys, AFP reported.
Britain on July 4th seized an Iranian tanker, the Grace 1, on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.
Iran vowed to retaliate, and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stormed and detained the UK-flagged Stena Impero and its 23 crew as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 20th.
New British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab flatly rejected the idea of the two tankers being exchanged or simultaneously released in a bid to dial back the tensions.
"There is no quid pro quo," Raab told BBC radio. "This is not about some kind of barter. This is about international law and the rules of the international legal system being upheld," he said.
"That is what we will insist on."
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had hinted earlier that he was open to a tanker swap.
Remaining participants in the 2015 nuclear pact met in Vienna over the weekend for heated talks that also saw Iran lash out at Britain's proposal for European nations to lead a naval and air Gulf escort mission.
Britain's HMS Montrose began helping UK-flagged tankers enter into and out of the Gulf last week, with a British warship, HMS Duncan, arriving Sunday.
The UK defence ministry said the two will conduct escorts together for the next month. The Montrose will then go in for scheduled maintenance and be replaced by the HMS Kent frigate later this year.
"Freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is vital not just to the UK, but also our international partners and allies," UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said.
