Britain will protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized tanker

Britain will aim to start a European protection mission for ships in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a British-flagged vessel.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the seizure was ‘an act of state piracy’.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the Stena Impero oil tanker in the Strait, after British Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar two weeks ago.

‘Under international law Iran had no right to obstruct the ship’s passage – let alone board her. It was therefore an act of state piracy,’ Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told parliament.

‘We will now seek to put together a European-led maritime protection mission to support safe passage of both crew and cargo in this vital region,’ Hunt said.

Britain has had discussions with a number of countries over the last two days about setting up a mission, he said.

He also said he would discuss how this would complement US proposals in the area but that Britain would not join the US plan as it wanted to preserve the nuclear deal.

‘It will not be part of the US maximum pressure policy on Iran because we remain committed to preserving the Iran nuclear agreement,’ Hunt said.

He said while he would seek to establish the mission as ‘quickly as possible’, the government had dispatched HMS Duncan, a Type 45 Destroyer, to the region which would arrive a week from today.

Britain will now ask all British-flagged ships to give the government notice of intentions to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Hunt said.

‘We will then advise them as to the safest way to transit, which may involve travelling in convoy,’ Hunt said, adding that Britain would also strengthen measures to protect ships flying the flags of other countries but which had British crew.

‘It is of course not possible for the Royal Navy to provide escorts for every single ship or indeed eliminate all risks of piracy,’ Hunt said.

‘But the risks can be substantially reduced if commercial shipping companies cooperate fully with instructions from the Department of Transport, which we strongly encourage them to do.’