British carrier detained .. London is seeking to form a naval force in the Gulf led by a European

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is seeking a European-led naval security force to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a British-flagged ship, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.

Britain will ask all British-flagged vessels to notify the British authorities of their intention to cross the Strait of Hormuz, the British foreign secretary said in a speech to his country's parliamentarians, adding that his country would coordinate any European efforts to secure free international shipping in the straits with America.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a television interview today that Britain should take responsibility for protecting its own vessels.

The British minister stressed that "under international law, Iran was not entitled to disabling the ship, let alone to rise to the back; and then this piracy state." In reference to the detention of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards last Friday, the oil tanker, "Stina Empero" flying the flag of Britain.

"If Tehran continues to do so, the price will be a greater Western military presence along its coasts," Hunt warned.

Crisis meeting
British Prime Minister Theresa May's office said it would chair a crisis meeting of its government ministers on the British oil tanker being held by Iran.

The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany agreed in a telephone conversation to work together to ensure security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, reduce escalation, and condemned the detention of Iran the British carrier.

In response, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabie said his country had not detained the British carrier in response to Britain's detention of the Iranian carrier Grace One in Gibraltar and that the detention of the tanker was a necessary legal measure to ensure regional security.

"The British tanker was detained in Iranian waters," Rabie said at a press conference in Tehran, stressing that his country would not tolerate the security of navigation in Hormuz.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatemi said his country's suspension of a British tanker in the Gulf waters showed Iran was capable of responding to any threat, and Hatemi described Britain's detention of the Iranian tanker in Gibraltar as wrong.

The Iranian defense minister said that the missile force of his country has seen a remarkable development, saying that the purpose of possession is to defend the Iranian territory, as he put it.

Place the crew
In a related context, the Iranian embassy in India said today that all crew members - including Indians - are in good health, and are still on board.

The Iranian authorities objected to the British carrier, hours after the Crown High Court of Gibraltar announced the extension of the detention of Grace 1 tanker for 30 days.

Authorities in Gibraltar suspect the Iranian carrier was carrying oil to Syria in violation of European sanctions against Damascus, a charge Tehran denies.

The tension comes amid growing tension between the United States and Iran over Washington's tightening of sanctions against Tehran following its withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, as the EU seeks to salvage the deal through mechanisms to allow continued trade with Iran, regardless of US sanctions.