Iran seizes British oil tanker

The United Kingdom and its allies are warning Iran to release a British oil tanker and its crew that were taken captive in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. Iran said it orchestrated an armed takeover of the ship in retaliation for Britain’s impounding one of its tankers that was attempting to deliver oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions two weeks ago off Gibraltar.

“We will respond in a way that is considered but robust,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Friday. “We are absolutely clear that if this situation is not resolved quickly there will be serious consequences.” The British-flagged Stena Impero had a crew of 23 aboard. None are British nationals.

Escalating tensions between Iran and the West are threatening the free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which one-fifth of all global crude exports passes.