Iran Guards say they confiscated British tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Tehran: Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced Friday they had confiscated a British tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz for breaking "international maritime rules".
The Stena Impero tanker "was confiscated by the Revolutionary Guards at the request of Hormozgan Ports and Maritime Organisation when passing through the strait of Hormuz, for failing to respect international maritime rules," the Guards' official website Sepahnews announced.
The tanker "was led to the shore and handed over to the organisation to go through the legal procedure and required investigations," it said.
Tanker tracking service Marine Traffic showed that the UK-flagged, Swedish-owned Stena Impero last signalled its location near the Island of Larak in the highly sensitive waterway at 9:00 PM local time.
The UK is "urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf," a British government spokesperson said.
The announcement came just hours after Gibraltar's Supreme Court announced it would extend by 30 days the detention of an Iranian tanker seized two weeks ago on allegations that it was headed to Syria in violation of sanctions.
British authorities' detention of the Grace 1 supertanker sparked outrage in Tehran, which accused London of doing the bidding of the Washington in action that is "tantamount to maritime banditry".
On Tuesday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the "vicious British" of "piracy" and vowed retaliation.
The Guards also seized another "foreign tanker" on Thursday, believed to be the Panamanian-flagged vessel Riah and its crew, and accused the ship of smuggling Iranian fuel.
Thursday's incident, amid soaring tensions between Iran on one side and the US and its allies on the other, is the latest in a series of events that have raised fears of a regional war in the Gulf.
President Donald Trump insisted Friday that the American military had downed an Iranian drone that was threatening a US naval vessel in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran denied.
On Thursday, Trump said the USS Boxer had downed an Iranian drone that threatened the amphibious assault ship as it was entering the Strait.
The alleged incident came after Iran shot down a US drone last month, nearly sparking retaliatory strikes. The Strait of Hormuz is the conduit for nearly a third of the world's crude oil.
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Jamia prof receives Rs 94 lakh grant to formulate AI-driven drug to treat breast cancer
New Delhi (PTI): An associate professor at Jamia Millia Islamia has been awarded a research grant of approximately Rs 94 lakh by the prestigious ICMR to support research in leveraging Artificial Intelligence for treatment of breast cancer.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has granted funding to Raza to develop cutting-edge tools for AI-guided drug design, focusing on optimising drug compounds, identifying therapeutic targets, and formulating novel treatment strategies for breast cancer, a statement by the varsity said on Friday.
One such promising drug compound 'DdpMPyPEPhU' already patented by Raza will be further explored under this initiative, the statement said.
This research will address critical challenges in breast cancer treatment and is expected to yield transformative outcomes that could impact healthcare practices globally, it added.
The three-year funding will facilitate advanced experimentation, foster collaboration with leading experts, and accelerate the development of innovative solutions for breast cancer treatment.
Jamia Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif and Registrar Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi congratulated Raza on this accomplishment.
Asif stated, “This is a moment of immense pride for JMI. Raza’s recognition by ICMR underscores the university’s commitment to fostering research excellence and innovation. His groundbreaking work showcases JMI’s vital contributions to integrating AI in healthcare research.”
Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Raza said, “I am deeply honoured to receive this grant from ICMR. It represents a tremendous opportunity to advance our research on AI- driven drug design and contribute to better health outcomes for millions. I am thankful to my research team, collaborators and ICMR for their unwavering support.”
Raza is known for his research in the application of AI in healthcare, focusing on designing and optimising drug compounds through AI-based multitarget docking, molecular simulations, and genomics-driven personalised medicine.
