Iran urges UK to free captured oil tanker, calling it 'maritime piracy'

Iran has pressed Britain to release the captured Iranian oil tanker and called its seizure "maritime piracy", Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday. British Royal Marines impounded the tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Iran denies the vessel was headed to Syria, where the government of President Bashar al-Assad is an ally of Tehran.