UK: Europe-led mission will protect vital shipping in Gulf

LONDON — Britain announced plans Monday to develop and deploy a Europe-led “maritime protection mission” to safeguard shipping in the vital Strait of Hormuz in light of Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the waterway last week.

Briefing Parliament on the budding crisis, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused Iran of “an act of state piracy” that must be met with a coordinated international reaction.

Iranian officials have suggested the Stena Impero was seized and taken to an Iranian port in response to Britain’s role in seizing an Iranian oil tanker two weeks earlier off the coast of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern tip of Spain.

Hunt announced precious few details of the proposed protection mission, but said Britain’s European allies will play a major role in keeping shipping lanes open. Onefifth of all global crude exports passes through the narrow strait between Iran and Oman.

“It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing this increased international presence in the Gulf, because the focus of our diplomacy has been on de-escalating tensions in the hope that such changes would not be necessary,” Hunt said.

He also sought to put distance between Britain and its closest international ally, the United States.

Washington has broken with London on Iran policy as a result of President Donald Trump’s rejection of the international accord designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the accord last year and reimposed harsh sanctions, which have had a severe effect on Iran’s economy.

It was unclear which countries will join the protection force. Hunt said he had consulted with foreign ministers of Oman, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Spain and Denmark.

There are no British nationals among the Stena Impero’s 23 crew members — most are Indian, as well as Filipino, Russian and Latvian nationals. Iran released new video showing the ship’s crew for the first time Monday, an apparent attempt to show they were unharmed. Iran’s government spokesman Ali Rabiei said there are diplomatic solutions to the current crisis, but he also defended Iran’s actions.

“When you illegally seize a ship in Gibraltar, we don’t deem it as necessary to show tolerance,” he said. “Some countries have asked for the immediate release of the British tanker. Well, we ask those countries to make the same request to Britain first.”

Britain also said the tanker was in Omani waters at the time, which Iran disputes.