MNA � An Iranian expert on international law Nemat Ahmadi said western countries' reaction to Iran's seizure of UK oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz is merely �political' while they have not taken the legal and technical aspects of the issue into consideration.

They know well that they have violated international maritime rules and regulations, he added.

�International waterways are considered as a corridor, so that any transit through them has been defined clearly according to the international agreements made in this respect," he said.

He went on to note that the British oil tanker was using an exit lane to enter the Strait of Hormuz, which is a clear violation of international maritime rules and regulations.

Each vessel and oil tanker is equipped with a GPS that should always be turned on but the British tanker�s radar system had been switched off, he said, adding, �this issue shows clear violation of maritime rules.�

As protector of security in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, Islamic Republic of Iran was duty bound to deal with the UK�s violation of maritime rules and regulations seriously, he stressed