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| Iran tanker seizure: Royal Navy frigate to escort UK ships | Iran tanker seizure: Royal Navy frigate to escort UK ships |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The UK government has said it will provide a Royal Navy escort for British-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz - amid increasing diplomatic tensions in the Gulf. | The UK government has said it will provide a Royal Navy escort for British-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz - amid increasing diplomatic tensions in the Gulf. |
| Ship owners are being advised to give details of their route so they can be escorted by the frigate HMS Montrose. | Ship owners are being advised to give details of their route so they can be escorted by the frigate HMS Montrose. |
| The move follows the seizure of the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Friday. | The move follows the seizure of the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero by Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Friday. |
| The ship's owner said the crew are safe and co-operating with officials. | The ship's owner said the crew are safe and co-operating with officials. |
| The decision to provide a military escort to merchant shipping follows a meeting of Downing Street's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the situation in the Gulf. | |
| HMS Montrose is currently deployed to the region to provide reassurance for British ships, and earlier this month was forced to move between three Iranian boats which were trying to impede an oil tanker. | |
| Iran denied that the incident happened and said there had been no confrontation with any foreign vessels. | |
| That incident followed the UK's decision to seize an Iranian tanker, Grace 1, which London alleges was carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions. Iran has denied the claim. | |
| In April, the US tightened its own sanctions on Iran, which it had re-imposed after Tehran withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal. | |
| The UK government has remained committed to the deal, which curbs Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions. |