JEREMY Hunt today vowed to protect ships in the Gulf with a Europe-wide naval task force as tensions with Iran rise.

Royal Navy vessels will be joined by ships from other European powers including France, which has a powerful naval fleet, to ensure civilians can navigate the area safely.

3 HMS Duncan is on its way to the Gulf to protect UK ships Credit: Press Association Images

France announced today that it would join the maritime force in the Gulf.

The Foreign Secretary slammed Iran for committing "state piracy" in seizing a UK-flagged tanker last week.

The country's troops boarded the Stena Impero on Friday, taking its crew hostage and steering it into Iranian waters.

Speaking in the House of Commons yesterdat, Mr Hunt blasted: "Let us be clear, under international law Iran had no right to obstruct the ship's passage, let alone board her.

"It was therefore an act of state piracy."

He added: "Because freedom of navigation is a vital interest of every nation, we will now seek to put together a European-led maritime protection mission to support safe passage of both crew and cargo in this vital region.

"We have had constructive discussions with a number of countries in the last 48 hours and will discuss later this week the best way to complement this with recent US proposals in this area.

"The new force will be focused on free navigation, bearing in mind that one fifth of the world’s oil, a quarter of its liquefied natural gas - and trade worth half a trillion dollars - pass through the Strait of Hormuz every year."

British ships will be able to travel in a convoy with military vessels if they are in danger of being seized while travelling in the Gulf.

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The new naval task force will not be part of a US mission designed to face down Iranian aggression.

Britain is opposed to Donald Trump's Iran policy because the President has scrapped the nuclear deal designed to stop the country building a nuclear weapon.

The recent unrest started when Royal Marines blocked an Iranian vessel from illegally delivering oil to Syria.

3 Jeremy Hunt today announced a new naval task force Credit: AFP

3 The crew of seized British ship Stena Impero Credit: AP:Associated Press

Video of crew inside Brit oil tanker seized by Iran

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