Boris Johnson's dad tells Iranian TV that the UK's new prime minister 'loves' Iran and will resolve the tanker crisis 'easy peasy'

Press TV

Stanley Johnson, a former politician and father of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, talks to Iran's state-run Press TV.

• Boris Johnson's father told Iranian TV that his son, the new UK prime minister, "loves" Iran and will resolve growing tensions "easy peasy."
• Stanley Johnson was interviewed by state-run outlet Press TV, just hours after his son criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for appearing on the same channel.
• There is growing tension between the UK and Iran after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard seized a British-flagged ship on Friday.
• Johnson's opponents have criticised the "diplomatic gaffe."
• Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

Boris Johnson's father has told Iranian state television that the new prime minister of the United Kingdom "loves" Iran and will resolve the growing diplomatic crisis between Tehran and the west "easy peasy."

Stanley Johnson gave an interview to Press TV just hours after his son, the UK prime minister, criticised Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn for appearing on the same Iranian TV channel in the past.

In the House of Commons on Thursday, the prime minister said: "How on earth could he [Corbyn] ask about Iran?

"The right honourable gentleman who has been paid by Press TV of Iran.

Read more: A human chain of protesters stopped Boris Johnson's car as he went to meet the Queen

"Who repeatedly sides with the mullahs of Tehran rather than our friends in the United States over what is happening in the Persian Gulf.

"How incredible we should even think of entrusting that gentleman with the stewardship of this country's security."

However, just hours later, his father Stanley spoke to Press TV about his son becoming UK prime minister.

He said the prime minister "loves" Iran and that he is "very much looking forward to him building bridges with Iran."

He added: "Iran to him will mean Darius, Xerxes - you know, Iran means so much to him. So the chance to have longstanding relationships with a country with such a fantastic history."

Darius and Xerxes are former rulers of historical Persian Empire, which included modern-day Iran.

There are growing tensions between the UK and the Gulf state after Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Friday seized a British-flagged ship in the Gulf of Hormuz. UK security officials have held emergency meetings to discuss how to resolve the crisis.

However, the prime minister's father said that Theresa May's successor would resolve it "easy peasy."

"Of course you have this situation at the moment where we've got your ship which is called Stella, you've got our ship, which is called something else," Stanley Johnson said.

In fact, the Iranian ship is being held by Gibraltar, a British territory, rather than the UK directly, and is called the Grace 1. The British-flagged ship is called the Stena Impero.

Read more: Iran releases awkward video purporting to show seized British tanker crew cooking on board 3 days after they were captured

Stanley Johnson continued: "Well, the best thing would be to say, look, we let your ship go, you let our ship go.

"Easy peasy."

Business Insider has contacted Downing Street for comment.

Here is Stanley Johnson's interview with Press TV:

Naomi Smith, CEO of anti-Brexit group Best For Britain, said: "This is the kind of diplomatic gaffe we've seen time and again with the Johnsons.

She added: "It's not too long ago that a British citizen had their sentence toughened because of Boris Johnson's loose tongue. Now his dad is making policy on the spot for Iranian state TV and stomping all over a very tense international crisis.

"Having a Prime Minister like Boris Johnson will make these crises more difficult to handle anyway, let alone one with his eye taken completely off the ball by his attempts to force through a damaging no-deal Brexit."

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