Jeremy Hunt under pressure to back plan for Gulf force as Iran digs in
(The Guardian World News)

Tehran signals it will not release British-flagged tanker until UK frees one of its vesselsThe foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is under intense pressure to join US-led plans for an international maritime protection force in the Gulf as signs grow that Iran is preparing for a long standoff over the British-flagged tanker it has detained.As Tehran signalled it would refuse to release the Steno Impero until the UK released an Iranian-flagged ship seized off the coast of Gibraltar a fortnight ago, the British government faced accusations it had failed to sufficiently guard its shipping in the Gulf. Continue reading...