British warship sets sail for tanker escort mission in Gulf
British warship HMS Kent set sail for the Gulf on
Monday to join a US-led mission protecting commercial shipping vessels in the
region amid heightened political tension between the West and Iran.
Britain has joined the United States in a maritime
security mission in the Gulf to protect merchant vessels.
That comes after Iran seized a British oil tanker in
the Strait of Hormuz. On July 4 British marines seized an Iranian vessel, which
is suspected of smuggling oil to Syria, off the coast of Gibraltar.
“Our focus in the Gulf remains firmly one of
de-escalating the current tensions,” said Andy Brown, the ship’s commanding
officer.
“But we are committed to upholding freedom of
navigation and reassuring international shipping, which this deployment on
operations aims to do.”
The deployment was first announced last month and
will see the Kent relieve another British ship, the Duncan, already working in
the region.
The US and the UK have announced an “international
maritime security mission” to protect merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
amid heightened tensions, as P&O Cruises has cancelled cruises around Dubai
and the Arabian Gulf in response to Iran seizing foreign vessels.
