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UK Does Not Want to Escalate Hormuz Tensions
Britain does not intend to escort every
British-flagged merchant vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, a
security source said on Thursday, after a Royal Navy warship had
to stop three Iranian vessels from blocking the passage of a
BP-operated tanker.
The source said London would be resolute in defending its
maritime interests in the Gulf but it does not want to escalate
the situation with Iran.
Exactly a week after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in
Gibraltar accused of violating sanctions on Syria, London said
the British Heritage tanker operated by oil company BP had been
approached in the Strait, the main outlet for Middle Eastern oil.
On any given day, about 15 to 30 large British-flagged ships
travel through the Gulf, with up to three passing through the
Strait of Hormuz. Britain has HMS Montrose and four mine
countermeasure vessels in the Gulf.
With tensions rising in the area, Britain raised its ship
security level on Tuesday to 3 - critical - the highest category,
for British-flagged ships in Iranian waters.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed as
"worthless" the allegation that Iran had tried to block the ship.
By Guy Faulconbridge
Jul 11, 2019
