This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
Published on July 24, 2019, the US-Iran dispute has been escalating for months, with President Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposing new sanctions on the Islamic republic.
The move has led to a significant increase in tensions in the Gulf, with Iran embarking on a uranium enrichment programme in an attempt to attain nuclear state status. The US has responded by blaming Iran for attacks on tanker ships, including a British one, and Iran has not been spared either, with its vessels facing threats.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has likened Europe's approach to Iran's recent breaches of the 2015 deal to the appeasement of Nazi Germany, while the European parties to the deal have remained steadfast in their hope that dialogue, rather than an arms race, promises a better way out for both Washington and Tehran.
London has reiterated its priority of de-escalating tensions with Iran in the Gulf, considering several options to secure the release of the Stena Impero and its crew, which was seized by the Iranian Revolutionary Forces in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The world has been there before, and all energies must be deployed to resolving the US-Iran dispute amicably, as military confrontation in the Gulf or elsewhere would have far-reaching ramifications.
