The United Kingdom will play a "leading role" in what it's calling an "international" maritime mission monitoring ships in the Persian Gulf, the British government announced Monday.
"The mission will see the Royal Navy working alongside the U.S. Navy to accompany merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz," the British government said in a statement.
The British statement made no mention of Operation Sentinel, the name of the U.S.-led coalition the Trump administration is trying to build in the Gulf. Germany has declined to join the U.S.-led mission.
"Following constructive discussions at an international conference in Bahrain last week, the UK has agreed to join an international mission which will largely draw on assets already in the region," including two British warships escorting British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Britain will lead one of the "task groups" of coalition warships.
"Our aim is to build the broadest international support to uphold freedom of navigation in the region, as protected under international law," the statement quoted British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab saying. "Our approach to Iran hasn't changed. We remain committed to working with Iran and our international partners to de-escalate the situation and maintain the nuclear deal."
The announcement comes after Iran's seizure of another foreign tanker yesterday, and after Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters over the weekend that he understood allies' concerns that joining the coalition might risk drawing them into a confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.
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