UK Weighs Measures To Protect Ships In Hormuz Strait - Foreign Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2019) The UK government had an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss protections for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a UK-flagged tanker, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.

"Govt emergency [committee] COBR met again this pm. Reaffirmed UK desire to de-escalate but confirmed Stena Impero was seized in OMANI waters in clear contravention of international law & discussed how [to] secure safety of UK/[international] shipping in Straits of Hormuz," he tweeted.

Hunt said the British parliament would be updated on the incident on Monday.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards captured the Stena Impero tanker on Friday allegedly for breaking international laws and brought it into an Iranian port. Its crew of 23 sailors � 18 Indians, three Russians, a Latvian and a Filipino � remain on board.

The maritime clash comes after UK Marines helped detain an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on July 4 on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused London of piracy.