Britain ready for military intervention to keep Gulf open

Britain could send extra military assets to the Strait of Hormuz to deter any attempt by Iran to block Persian Gulf oil tanker traffic, the country’s defence secretary said, as Tehran insisted a European Union ban on the purchase of its oil would have little sting.

Two British and French warships and the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln had entered the Gulf on Sunday to show Iran they would not tolerate any interference with global shipping, said Philip Hammond.

Iranian leaders have repeated long-standing threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, which handles a fifth of the world’s oil, after the EU imposed the embargo on Monday as part of sanctions to pressure Tehran into resuming talks on the country’s nuclear programme.