Britain says 2 vessels seized by Iranian authorities
LONDON — Britain’s foreign secretary said Iranian authorities seized two vessels Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, actions signaling intensifying tensions in the strategic waterway that has become a flashpoint between Tehran and the West.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said one of the seized ships was Britishflagged and the other sailed under Liberia’s flag. Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency tweeted shortly after Hunt’s statement that the second tanker had left Iran’s territorial waters.
“These seizures are unacceptable,” Hunt said as he prepared to enter an emergency government meeting Friday night. “It is essential that freedom of navigation is maintained and that all ships can move safely and freely in the region.”
The seizing of the British tanker marked perhaps the most significant escalation since tensions between Iran and the West began rising in May. At that time, the U.S. announced it was dispatching an aircraft carrier and additional troops to the Persian Gulf, citing unspecified threats posed by Iran.
The ongoing showdown has caused jitters around the globe, amid fears that any misunderstanding or misstep by either side could lead to war.
Details of what took place Friday remained sketchy. Iran said earlier Friday that it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which is at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and serves as the passageway for onefifth of all global crude exports.
Jill Lawless in London and David Rising in Berlin contributed.