Britain calls for European naval mission to counter Iran's 'piracy'

The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge steams through the Arabian Gulf July 19, 2019. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jason Waite/Handout via REUTERS

LONDON/DUBAI (Reuters) - Britain called on Monday for a European-led naval mission to ensure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, days after Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in what London described as an act of "state piracy" in the strategic waterway.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt outlined the plans to parliament after a meeting of COBR, the government's emergency committee, which discussed London's response to Friday's capture of the Stena Impero tanker by Iranian commandos at sea.