London: Iran's ambassador to the United Kingdom and permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Ali Mousavi reacts harshly to the US military action against two Iranian oil tankers, calling the attacks illegal and inhuman.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, in a letter to IMO chief Arsenio Dominguez on Monday, the Iranian envoy referred to the dire conditions of the crew members of the two seized tankers, warning that Washington is responsible for the lives and health of the sailors caught in the situation. In the letter, he explained that the two tankers - MT Tiffany and Majestic X - carrying cargo related to the Islamic Republic of Iran were stopped by US forces during the illegal naval blockade, in the vicinity of the Port of Jask and the Strait of Hormuz.

Mousavi stated that about 60 crew members of the two tankers, including 20 Iranian nationals, are being held on a tugboat in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, reportedly without adequate food and water to those on board. Referring to the restrictions on the tugboat's movement, he wrote that the vessel was prevented from moving towards the Malaysian coast and instead, under pressure from American forces, it was forced to move towards Singapore.

Mousavi called the situation intolerable and a clear violation of the relevant rules and regulations of the IMO, stressing that any unilateral US claim has no legal justification for exposing civilian seafarers to starvation, deprivation and danger on the high seas. He described the US behavior as illegal, reckless, inhumane and completely inconsistent with the basic standards governing the treatment of persons employed in commercial shipping.