The Supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemned British “piracy” in the wake of Britain’s seizure of a Russian super-tanker, carrying Iranian crude oil, off the Spanish coast of Gibraltar. He asserted that “Evil Britain commits piracy and steals our ship ... and gives it a legal appearance. Iran, and those who believe in our system, will not leave such evil deeds unanswered”. RNA - Ayatollah Khamenei’s calculated remarks are a genuine reflection of historical facts.
Such actions are part of the British strategy of acquiring leverage and diplomatic capital in her dealings with other nations. Herein follow some examples:
Earlier this year $1.2 billion worth of Venezuelan gold assets was effectively frozen by the Bank of England. The timing of the asset freeze – January 2019 – was significant as it coincided with the onset of the failed US and UK backed coup in Venezuela.
This asset freeze- like the seizure of the oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar- was influenced by Washington. Bloomberg reported on January 25 that the Bank of England’s decision was influenced by the intervention of top US officials, including Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and National Security advisor, John Bolton.
According to Press TV, in March 2011 the UK froze £2 billion worth of assets belonging to the Libyan Investment Authority and allied entities. This action was justified on the grounds of enforcing sanctions on the former Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi. The assets remain frozen and has recently been revealed that the British authorities are collecting taxes on the blocked funds.
In April 2012 the Egyptian government strongly criticised Britain for “not helping enough” with the recovery of stolen Egyptian assets.
The suspicion was that the Mubarak era officials who had misappropriated, if not stolen, funds had agreed to invest their ill begotten gains in Britain.
Prior to the oil tanker incident, British adventurism on the world stage has, so far, gone unanswered, however, this shall no longer be the case, as the supreme leader has promised that London shall pay the price for any future misadventures it may undertake.
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