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Iran’s seizure of merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz has prompted a U.S.-led naval response, which the United Kingdom announced Monday it would join, Reuters reported.
The Islamic Republic’s foreign minister previously said the seizures were a “reciprocal” tactic, carried out in response to recent U.S. financial sanctions. The latest seizure involved a British-flagged vessel traveling through the Strait, a waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman.
Tanker traffic through the Strait – through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes – has become the focus for a standoff between Iran and the United States, which has beefed up its military presence in the Gulf since May.
Last month, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a British tanker, Stena Impero, near the Strait of Hormuz for alleged marine violations. That came two weeks after Britain seized an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar, accusing it of violating sanctions on Syria.
“It is vital to secure the freedom for all international shipping to navigate the Strait of Hormuz without delay, given the increased threat,” said British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
Earlier on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran would no longer tolerate “maritime offenses” in the strait.
Iran has also threatened to block all exports via the Strait if other countries comply with U.S. pressure to stop buying Iranian oil.
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