Hong Kong police use tear gas, charge protesters as march escalates

DPA, 28th JULY, 2019 - Europe should think twice about sending a maritime security mission to the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian President Hassan Rowhani said Sunday as one of his senior diplomats linked the current naval spat with the 2015 nuclear accord.  

Britain proposed the mission after Iran seized a British-flagged vessel in the strait, which is a strategic shipping route to and from the oil-rich Gulf region. Several European countries have signalled their interest in joining the effort to protect shipping there.  

“The presence of foreign troops in the Persian Gulf would not make the situation safer but would lead to further tensions,” Rowhani said.  

“Iran expects all EU states to not support these provocative proposals,” his spokesman added, according to state news agency IRNA.  Britain has already moved ahead with its own initiative: London’s Defence Ministry announced Sunday that a second British warship had arrived in the Gulf to beef up protection of oil tankers and other ships.