Britain will seek to create a European-led maritime mission to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Jeremy Hunt announced yesterday as he resisted pressure from Washington to join a US-led task force against Iran. Calling Iran’s capture of the Stena Impero, a British-flagged tanker, “an act of state piracy”, Mr Hunt said: “If Iran continues on this dangerous path they must accept the price will be a larger western military presence in the waters along their coastline, not because we wish to increase tensions but simply because freedom of navigation is a principle which Britain and its allies will always defend.”However, Mr Hunt said his plan was not part of the American policy of putting “maximum pressure” on Iran “because we remain…

Source: The Times July 22, 2019 21:33 UTC