Iran rejects UK proposal for international coalition to protect shipping in Strait of Hormuz

Boris Johnson faces task of dealing with diplomatic crisis as he becomes prime minister

Iran has rejected plans for a European maritime force to defend shipping in the Strait of Hormuz announced by Jeremy Hunt earlier this week.

The Iranian vice-president, Eshaq Jahangiri, said any international coalition to protect the Gulf would bring only insecurity.

“There is no need to form a coalition because these kinds of coalitions and the presence of foreigners in the region by itself creates insecurity,” he said. “And other than increasing insecurity it will not achieve anything else.”

Mr Hunt’s plan was announced in the wake of the seizure of the British-flagged Stena Impero by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Friday. He made it clear when announcing the proposed force that Iran could see a rival plan for a US force as an aggressive move given Washington’s opposition to the international deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, insisted Iran was responsible for “security and freedom of navigation” in the Gulf.

The issue will be one of the first diplomatic challenges Boris Johnson will face as he takes on the role of prime minister.

In a message congratulating the new Tory leader, Mr Zarif, said: “Iran does not seek confrontation.

“But we have 1,500 miles of Persian Gulf coastline. These are our waters and we will protect them.”

He repeated Tehran’s claim that the British had committed “piracy” over the seizure of the Grace 1 supertanker by the authorities in Gibraltar two weeks ago on suspicion that it was transporting oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. That seems to have led to the retaliation against the Stena Impero.

Mr Zarif accused the UK of carrying out the policies of the US hawks led by John Bolton which Tehran has dubbed the B-team.

He said: “We are responsible for security and freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.

“That is our lifeline and it is much, much better for the United Kingdom not to be engaged in implementing the ploys of the B-team.

“The B-team is losing ground in the United States and now they are turning their attention to the United Kingdom.

“I guess the same policies that failed in the US will fail in the United Kingdom.”

Mr Hunt told MPs on Monday that the proposed new European mission would focus on ensuring free navigation through one of the world’s most important waterways, which carries a fifth of the world’s oil and a quarter of its liquefied natural gas flow.

It would seek to “complement” US proposals to protect shipping in the region, although it would not form part of the American “maximum pressure” policy on Tehran as the UK continued to support the Iran nuclear deal which the US has repudiated.

“It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing this increased international presence in the Gulf, because the focus of our diplomacy has been on de-escalating tensions in the hope that such changes would not be necessary,” Mr Hunt said.

He added: “If Iran continues on this dangerous path, they must accept the price will be a larger western military presence in the waters along their coastline, not because we wish to increase tensions but simply because freedom of navigation is a principle which Britain and its allies will always defend.”

Meanwhile, the head of the US Central Command said a US Navy ship might have brought down a second Iranian drone in the Strait last week.

On Thursday, the US said a Navy ship had “destroyed” an Iranian drone after the aircraft threatened the vessel, but Iran said it had no information about losing a drone.

“We are confident we brought down one drone, we may have brought down a second,” General Kenneth McKenzie told CBS News in an interview.

Additional reporting by agencies