Live updates: Iran tensions soar after tanker seized - CNN

A Senior Russian lawmaker has claimed that the United States is “taking advantage” of tensions in the Persian Gulf in order to deploy more troops to the region.

“It is already clear who will be the first to take advantage of the escalated situation in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Middle East in general: The Pentagon has just approved the transfer of troops to Saudi Arabia," Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said in a post on Facebook.

The Trump administration is reinforcing its controversial military relationship with Saudi Arabia by preparing to send hundreds of troops to the country amid increasing tensions with Iran, CNN learned Wednesday.

Five hundred troops are expected to go to the Prince Sultan Air Base, located in a desert area east of the Saudi capital of Riyadh, according to US two defense officials. A small number of troops and support personnel are already on site with initial preparations being made for a Patriot missile defense battery as well as runway and airfield improvements, the officials said.

The US has wanted to base troops there for some time because security assessments have shown Iranian missiles would have a difficult time targeting the remote area.

The decision comes as US and Saudi relations remain extremely sensitive amid bipartisan congressional anger how the administration handled the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

But the Trump administration has said it is committed to trying to help protect Saudi Arabia against Iranian aggression.

"Neither Iran nor the United States, by and large, are interested in a real war," Kosachev wrote. "However, the ‘game of nerves’ and the raising of stakes will continue."

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2019-07-20 17:21:00Z
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Pro-China Hong Kong protester calls BBC reporter 'fake news' during broadcast - BBC News

The BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell has been interrupted on air by pro-Beijing protesters in Hong Kong.

There have been mass demonstrations in the city in recent weeks against a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to China for trial.

This weekend is seeing mass protests by both pro- and anti-China demonstrators in Hong Kong.

Read more: Why are there protests in Hong Kong? All the context you need

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2019-07-20 16:15:28Z
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Iran guards post video of troops rappelling onto the British oil tanker Stena Impero - The Sun

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2019-07-20 16:01:52Z
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Pro-China Hong Kong protester calls BBC reporter 'fake news' during broadcast - BBC News

The BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell has been interrupted on air by pro-Beijing protesters in Hong Kong.

There have been mass demonstrations in the city in recent weeks against a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to China for trial.

This weekend is seeing mass protests by both pro- and anti-China demonstrators in Hong Kong.

Read more: Why are there protests in Hong Kong? All the context you need

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https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-49058890/pro-china-hong-kong-protester-calls-bbc-reporter-fake-news-during-broadcast

2019-07-20 15:32:25Z
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Live updates: Iran tensions soar after tanker seized - CNN

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif responded to Britain's warnings against aggression in the Persian Gulf on Saturday with one of his own.

"Unlike the piracy in the Strait of Gibraltar, our action in the Persian Gulf is to uphold int'l maritime rules," Zarif said on Twitter, referring to the UK's seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar. "UK must cease being an accessory to #EconomicTerrorism of the US."

Iran's capture of the Stena Impero on Friday came just hours after authorities in Gibraltar agreed to extend the detention of an Iranian oil tanker in its custody for 30 days. That ship, the Grace 1, was seized by British authorities on July 4, accused of attempting to transport oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.

Observers had expected Iran to respond to the Grace 1's seizure, and the UK raised the security level for British ships in the Persian Gulf just last week. 

Alan West, a former head of the Royal Navy, said Britain should be unsurprised by the seizing of the Stena Impero tanker, warning that the UK had “too few ships” to defend its interests in the Gulf.

“What I find extraordinary is that we knew that the Iranians would try something like this a few days ago,” he told Sky News. “I’m absolutely amazed that we haven’t implemented some sort of control of red ensign shipping within the region whereby no tanker would go in to what is clearly a dangerous zone without an escort, and I find it bizarre that we seem to have ships doing exactly that.”

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2019-07-20 15:00:00Z
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Hong Kong police make 'largest ever' seizure of explosives on eve of protests - CNN

The discovery comes on the eve of a series of high-profile protests planned over the weekend, amid high tensions in the semi-autonomous Chinese city over a now-suspended extradition bill.

At a press conference Saturday, police confirmed the arrest of 27-year-old man in connection with the raid at what officers called a homemade laboratory in the industrial area of Tsuen Wan.

Police uncovered 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of high explosives, 10 petrol bombs, corrosive liquids, weapons and metal poles at the property.

"It's the largest such seizure we have ever come across in Hong Kong," said Alick Mcwhirter, superintendent of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Bureau. Leaflets linked to anti-extradition bill protests were also found on site.

Police said they were still testing the raw materials, but believe triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was found at different manufacturing stages at the suspected laboratory. EOD officers carried out a controlled explosion Saturday morning and were expected to perform more throughout the day.

A powerful high explosive, TATP was used in the November 2015 Paris attacks, the March 2016 Brussels bombings, the 2017 May Manchester bombing and a failed bomb attempt by an Islamist extremist at the Gare Centrale in Brussels in 2017.

The preparation of TATP can easily result in accidental detonation if mistakes are made.

Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah, of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, said the man arrested was wearing a shirt with the logo of the banned pro-independence group Hong Kong National Front.

Rallies are taking place across Hong Kong on Saturday and Sunday, with both pro-government and anti-extradition bill marches scheduled.

Li said police were still investigating a possible motive and intended uses for the explosives. He did not say if extra police would be arranged for protests this weekend as a result of the raid.

Mass demonstrations calling for government reforms and democracy have become a familiar sight in Hong Kong over the past six weeks, as hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets.

The demonstrations were initially sparked by strong public opposition to a bill that would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be extradited to face trial in mainland China.

Though the bill has since been suspended, demonstrations have continued against a backdrop of increased acrimony between protesters and police.

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2019-07-20 14:44:00Z
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Live updates: Iran tensions soar after tanker seized - CNN

The British-flagged tanker, the Stena Impero, has become a pawn in the widening crisis between the Islamic Republic and Western powers in the Persian Gulf, as Iran fights to free itself from the crippling effects of continued American economic sanctions.

"This is classic Iranian escalatory behavior designed to show it can also push back," Sanam Vakil, senior research fellow at Chatham House in London, told CNN on Saturday.

But there could be serious consequences for Iran's aggression toward the UK, as it seeks to renew nuclear talks.

Iran's actions in the Strait came just hours after authorities in Gibraltar agreed to extend the detention of an Iranian oil tanker in its custody for 30 days. That ship, the Grace 1, was seized by British authorities on July 4, accused of attempting to transport oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.

"The dangerous strategy for Iran is that this could push the UK closer to the United States and result in greater coordination between the two allies," Vakil said.

The UK -- one of three EU countries party to the Iran nuclear deal -- has worked to maintain the landmark agreement even after its ally, the US, dropped out. But Iran's escalation in the Strait makes that balancing act between saving the deal and appeasing Washington increasingly difficult.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter Saturday that the incident showed "worrying signs Iran may be choosing a dangerous path of illegal and destabilising behavior," adding that the UK's response would be "considered, but robust."

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2019-07-20 13:52:00Z
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