Making a statement to MPs in the Commons, the foreign secretary announced plans for the UK to help to develop a maritime protection mission in the Gulf.
Mr Hunt said he spoke with a "heavy heart" but if Iran continued to act as it had, it would have to accept a "larger Western military presence" along its coastline.
The protection force to be created by European countries would not include the US because, Mr Hunt insisted, Britain was not part of President Trump's policy of "maximum pressure" on Tehran.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News the "responsibility" fell to the UK "to take care of their ships".
All seems pretty straightforward and acceptable to me.
It will be interesting to see what the new Foreign Secretary says on Wednesday.
Can see that being Jarvid, meself. He seem pretty sensible
Making a statement to MPs in the Commons, the foreign secretary announced plans for the UK to help to develop a maritime protection mission in the Gulf.
Mr Hunt said he spoke with a "heavy heart" but if Iran continued to act as it had, it would have to accept a "larger Western military presence" along its coastline.
The protection force to be created by European countries would not include the US because, Mr Hunt insisted, Britain was not part of President Trump's policy of "maximum pressure" on Tehran.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News the "responsibility" fell to the UK "to take care of their ships".
All seems pretty straightforward and acceptable to me.
It will be interesting to see what the new Foreign Secretary says on Wednesday.
Can see that being Jarvid, meself. He seem pretty sensible
Nice dodge benty, avoided the question like a boss, I suppose it's a step up from your normal sarcastic nonsense.
Not dodging anything so spare me the pathetic insult.
I think our foreign policy in the Middle East has been a disaster - I could write chapter and verse on it. Jack Straw has just written a book on Iran 'The English Job' which I've read excerpts from and as an ex foreign secretary he might have some knowledge of the region. You might not agree with him but he has some interesting things to say.
I'm not clear if the US and UK wants a stable Middle East or what the end game is? Is it simply about our economic self interest?
Does anybody on here think our strategy in the Middle East has been a success?
It's interesting that you can write 'chapter and verse' yet won't answer Addickted's two questions.
I think I've made it abundantly clear that I don't think we've had a coherent foreign policy in the Middle East in the recent past that worked in answer to the first question. Bush and Blair seemed to have failed in their policy with incursions within the region.
Destabilising governments without an exit strategy such as Iraq and Libya and supporting Saudi Arabia which has helped fund ISIS has coincided with a growth in extremism in the reguon. As far as I can see Western goverments have to take some responsibility.
Iran and Iraq were at war as recently as 1988 and relations between the two can easily be fuelled rightly or wrongly by Western support or withdrawal of support.
I go back to the point I made about establishing what our goal is?
How about in the distant past? The point I believe Addickted was trying to make is that these problems go a lot further back and a lot deeper than our involvement.
The Shah of Iran was put on the throne in 1953 by a coup organised by the British and The Americans.
Iran was an absolute monarchy, ruled by an emperor, almost without interruption from 1501 until the 1979 revolution.
I read today that Britain does not have the navy capability to do anything about this, without a joint effort with the US. Is this true? Cuz Trump seems to be more interested in freeing some rapper than attacking Iran over British ships.
British foreign policy usurps 1400 years of brutal, murderous, religious dogma, says British people with an overbearing and wholly misplaced sense of guilt.
There are different scales of wrongness and I can't understand how we justify our right to be wrong because we are lower down the scale than other particularly despotic nations. So when say Boris Johnson said things that made Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe's extended incarceration more likely - the argument some gave to support him was that he wasn't the person holding her and the real villains were Iran. It can't be argued that they are vile and despicable and responsible for her inprisonment, but our standards can't be linked to theirs. You can behave pretty badly and be better than Iran and it is always a false comparison. Sometimes you have to be a bit tactful and strategic. It is ironic that after that error, he is soon to be Prime Minister whilst she still suffers in prison.
We should be looking at matters in that volatile area and be making considered decisions as to whether doing something is worth it and judging the implications of any actions. That isn't to say, we shouldn't stand up to them, but we should be sensible and strategic about it. This has become an almighty mess that probably plays into their hands more than it does ours! For me, it was avoidable and it wouldn't have made any difference to anything if it was avoided.
I'm sure that the Iranians will soon surrender at the sight of Belgian and Luxembourgian 'warships' appearing over the horizon. We don't need a Euro Navy, we need a determined and well resourced UK ROYAL Navy.
Hofstadt has done all he can to make life difficult for the UK during Brexit .. F**k him and all who sail in him
I'm sure that the Iranians will soon surrender at the sight of Belgian and Luxembourgian 'warships' appearing over the horizon. We don't need a Euro Navy, we need a determined and well resourced UK ROYAL Navy.
Hofstadt has done all he can to make life difficult for the UK during Brexit .. F**k him and all who sail in him
Despite our Navy being far too small? If those trade lines get shut down by Iran, all of Europe will suffer, it's quite right we work together on this. It's not a Euro navy, it's a collaboration.
I'm not sure the UK could financially afford a conflict at the moment. Seems like Iran are making noises about avoiding confrontation as well so hopefully this can be resolved.
We've worked alongside foreign forces from time immemorial, wtf has the EU, or any force they start up, got to do with it? I'm sure British Forces can work alongside them too, unless they're saying they won't cooperate because we left, in which case, kill em.
We've worked alongside foreign forces from time immemorial, wtf has the EU, or any force they start up, got to do with it? I'm sure British Forces can work alongside them too, unless they're saying they won't cooperate because we left, in which case, kill em.
I'm not sure the UK could financially afford a conflict at the moment. Seems like Iran are making noises about avoiding confrontation as well so hopefully this can be resolved.
I'm not sure the UK could financially afford a conflict at the moment. Seems like Iran are making noises about avoiding confrontation as well so hopefully this can be resolved.
The EU has decided to impose a semi blockade on Syria for reasons I can't quite comprehend. The Royal Marine Commandos impounded the Iranian tanker presumably to comply with a request from the EU authorities, though there are claims it was at the request of the US government. Whatever, there was not another EU nation's ship or soldier in sight. Rather as UK troops are stationed in Poland and the Baltic countries to assist in case the Russians decide to 'invade', (good luck with that one) the mouthpieces at the EU are keen to let the UK take the major defensive, military strain and to pick up the bills, whilst doing all it can to belittle us in the Brexit negotiations. https://www.army.mod.uk/deployments/baltics/ The Iranians have taken the 'British' tanker in a tit for tat reprisal. Negotiation will soon hopefully resolve the situation. If not, there is no way that Britain would or should get into 'armed conflict' with Iran. As with most Middle East disagreements, this affair will take a long time to resolve, it possibly never will and could just result in yet another time wasting episode of sabre rattling and mutual insult shouting. Bigger fools the Brits for getting involved in the first place. We should have left the 'tanker taking' to the Spanish, French or Italians. If that had been the case, the Iranian tanker would have offloaded in Syria and set 'sail' away long ago
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God knows were we will end up
We should be looking at matters in that volatile area and be making considered decisions as to whether doing something is worth it and judging the implications of any actions. That isn't to say, we shouldn't stand up to them, but we should be sensible and strategic about it. This has become an almighty mess that probably plays into their hands more than it does ours! For me, it was avoidable and it wouldn't have made any difference to anything if it was avoided.
Hofstadt has done all he can to make life difficult for the UK during Brexit .. F**k him and all who sail in him
Whatever, there was not another EU nation's ship or soldier in sight. Rather as UK troops are stationed in Poland and the Baltic countries to assist in case the Russians decide to 'invade', (good luck with that one) the mouthpieces at the EU are keen to let the UK take the major defensive, military strain and to pick up the bills, whilst doing all it can to belittle us in the Brexit negotiations. https://www.army.mod.uk/deployments/baltics/
The Iranians have taken the 'British' tanker in a tit for tat reprisal. Negotiation will soon hopefully resolve the situation. If not, there is no way that Britain would or should get into 'armed conflict' with Iran. As with most Middle East disagreements, this affair will take a long time to resolve, it possibly never will and could just result in yet another time wasting episode of sabre rattling and mutual insult shouting.
Bigger fools the Brits for getting involved in the first place. We should have left the 'tanker taking' to the Spanish, French or Italians. If that had been the case, the Iranian tanker would have offloaded in Syria and set 'sail' away long ago