London announced on Monday (August 6th) its participation in the naval security mission of the Gulf waters to protect merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation is led by the United States against the backdrop of growing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
"The United Kingdom is determined to ensure that its merchant navy is protected from illegitimate threats and for this reason we have decided today to join this new maritime security mission in the Gulf," said the Minister of Transport. Defense, Ben Wallace.
In Washington, the US Department of Defense has welcomed the British decision. "This is an international challenge and we look forward to working with the Royal Navy and other partners and allies who share the common goal of ensuring the free flow of trade," said a spokesperson for the United States. Pentagon in a statement.
This announcement marks a turning point in the British government's position, led since the end of July by conservative Boris Johnson. London had previously said it wanted to set up a protection mission with the Europeans in response to Iran's arrest of a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Reluctant allies
The United States is trying to set up an international coalition to escort merchant ships in the Gulf, but it does not seem to attract many countries. Many allies seem anxious not to be dragged into an open conflict in this region through which a third of the oil shipped by sea passes through the world.
The announcement of London however does not change the British policy vis-à-vis Iran, assured the head of the British diplomacy, Dominic Raab, in the release. "We remain committed to working with Iran and our international partners to defuse the situation and maintain the nuclear agreement," he insisted.
The announcement came shortly after Iran's top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Monday that the United States was acting alone against Iran and that its allies were "ashamed" to join them in a coalition to accompany the oil tankers. the Gulf.
Tensions have been mounting in the region since the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, followed by the reestablishment of heavy US sanctions against Iran. They have intensified in recent weeks with attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, attributed by Washington to Tehran, denying any involvement. And Iran announced Sunday it seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf, the third in less than three months.
With Reuters and AFP