英国称伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡劫持了两艘船只

Britain Says Iran Seized Two Ships in Strait of Hormuz

Britain's foreign secretary said Iranian officials seized two ships Friday in the Strait of Hormuz.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said one of the seized ships sailed under a British flag and the other sailed under Liberia's flag.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said later that the second ship had left Iran's territorial¹ waters.

"These seizures³ are unacceptable," Hunt said. He then entered a government meeting to discuss how to gain the release of the ships and their crews.

There are few details about what happened. Iran said earlier Friday that it had seized an oil ship named Impero Stena and was holding it at an Iranian port. It said the Stena had not followed "international maritime⁴ laws.”

The ship’s owner, company Stena Bulk, said it was unable to contact the ship after unidentified boats and a helicopter move toward it in the Strait of Hormuz.

The company said the ship carried 23 crew members and was in international waters at the time.

Britain's Chamber⁵ of Shipping⁶ leader Bob Sanguinetti said the seizure² represented an increase in tensions in the Persian Gulf⁷. He said the act made clear that more protection for trade vessels⁸ was urgently needed.

He said the seizure violated international rules about behavior in international waters. The British government should do "whatever is necessary" to gain the safe and quick return of the ship's crew, Sanguinetti added.

The incident came one day after American officials announced that a U.S. warship⁹ downed an Iranian drone in the Strait. Iran has denied it lost an aircraft in the area.

In Tehran, the Iranian military said all its drones had returned safely to their bases. It also suggested that the United States might have shot down one its own drones.

On June 20, Iran shot down an American drone in the same waterway. U.S. president Donald Trump¹⁰ came close to answering the move with an airstrike but canceled it.

I’m Caty Weaver¹¹.

Words in This Story

maritime - adj. of or relating to sailing on the sea or doing business (such as trading) by sea

drone - n. a type of small aircraft that flies without a pilot

1 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

2 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

3 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

4 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

10 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

11 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。