LONDON: Britain said on Friday it would deploy the destroyer HMS Duncan
warship to the Gulf to replace HMS Montrose, maintaining a continuous
presence there during a time of heightened tension in the region.
Relations between Tehran and the West have been increasingly strained
after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar and London said HMS
Montrose had to fend off Iranian vessels which sought to block a
British-owned tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“As part of our long-standing presence in the Gulf, HMS Duncan is
deploying to the region to ensure we maintain a continuous maritime
security presence while HMS Montrose comes off task for pre-planned
maintenance and crew change over,” the government said.
“This will ensure that the UK alongside international partners can
continue to support freedom of navigation for vessels transiting through
this vital shipping.”
Discussions between Britain and the United States on building up their
military presence in the Gulf are ongoing, Prime Minister Theresa May’s
spokeswoman said on Friday amid tensions with Iran.
Britain is not seeking to escalate the situation with Iran, foreign
minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday, as tensions continue between London
and Tehran over a seized Iranian tanker and the passage of vessels
through the Strait of Hormuz.
"We are reacting to what is happening in a measured and careful way and
we are being clear to Iran that we are not seeking to escalate this
situation," Jeremy Hunt told Sky News.
Bahrain said on Friday it "strongly condemned" what it called an Iranian
attempt to intercept a British tanker in the Gulf, according to a
statement from its foreign ministry.
"This hostile action embodies Iran's insistence on threatening security
and peace, and harming maritime navigation," the statement said.
Relations between Tehran and the West have been increasingly strained
after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar and London said the
British Heritage, operated by oil company BP, had been approached in the
strait between Iran and the Arabian peninsula.
“We are talking to the US about building on our presence in the face of
recent threats to shipping in the area,” May’s spokeswoman said on
Friday.
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