Iran’s Tanker Seizure Presents U.K. With Policy Dilemma by Max Colchester and Benoit Faucon – Wall Street Journal
Britain’s decision to seize an Iranian tanker off the coast of its overseas territory of Gibraltar earlier this month is fast snowballing, dragging the country deeper into an escalating crisis between Iran and the West.
Iran on Friday seized a British-flagged tanker in the Persian Gulf, saying it had collided with a fishing vessel, a move widely seen as retaliation. On Saturday, the Stena Impero arrived in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas with its 23 crew members still on board.
The U.K. government warned of a robust response, but Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt stopped short of including military action, saying such a measure isn’t yet warranted…