Defence Secretary Describes British Tanker Seizure As A 'Hostile Act'

Penny Mordaunt has called the seizure of the Stena Impero as a "hostile act" and that the tanker was intercepted in Omani waters.

Reports suggested that HMS Montrose was 10 minutes away from the Stena Impero when it was detained, but the Defence Secretary has said it was actually an hour away.

It has also been confirmed there will be another Cobra meeting this afternoon at ministerial level and that Jeremy Hunt has spoken with the Iran's Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif.

Mr Hunt tweeted saying that he expressed "extreme disappointment that having assured me last Saturday Iran wanted to de-escalate situation they have behaved in the opposite way".

Previous to this conversation Mr Zarif had taken to twitter to defend Iran's actions and said the UK must "cease being an accessory to Economic Terrorism of the US".

 Iran's Guardian Council has also said that the seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker was in response to Britain's role in seizing an Iranian tanker earlier this month.

The Fars news agency has reported that council spokesman, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, said "the rule of reciprocal action is well-known in international law" and that the right decision in the face of an "illegitimate economic war and seizure of oil tankers" was made.

It is believed that the councils comments are a reflection of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's views, who has final say on all state matters.

Other countries have also commented on the incident and the rising tensions in the Gulf.

The French Foreign Affairs Ministry has said it is "very concerned" by the seizure of the Stena Impero and that they express full solidarity with Britain in their calls for Iran to release the tanker.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs also stated that they "stand with the United Kingdom" and Iran should promptly release the ship and its crew.

Similarly, Germany has said that the seizure of a one oil tanker and the brief detention of another is an "unjustifiable intrusion" on a key shipping route through the Gulf.

The Russian Embassy also taken to twitter to say the most important thing is to prevent any escalation in tension.

British Vessels are still being warned to steer clear of the Strait of Homurz, where Stena Impero was seized.