Iran says US-led maritime mission would be 'source of insecurity'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif saidFriday that a US-led maritime security mission in the Strait ofHormuz would be a "source of insecurity." The United States has been seeking allies for a naval mission toguarantee freedom of navigation in the region after Iran seized twoforeign oil tankers in recent weeks in apparent retaliation forBritain impounding an Iranian tanker in early July. The rising tensions in the Gulf come as the US, which last yearwithdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal, imposes sanctions and a so-called"maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.Britain has agreed to join the US-led naval mission, but otherEuropean nations, including Germany, have been reticent for fear ofbeing dragged into an all-out conflict.European countries have been trying to preserve the 2015 deal, whichlimited Iran's nuclear activity so as to make it technicallyimpossible for the Islamic Republic to acquire nuclear weapons.But they have been largely unable to counteract the crippling effectof the reimposed US sanctions, which have led European firms too topull out of Iran. "Gulf is vital lifeline and thus nat'l security priority forIran, which has long ensured maritime security [sic]," Zarif wrote onTwitter on Friday."Mindful of this reality, any extra-regional presence is bydefinition source of insecurity - despite propaganda. Iran won'thesitate to safeguard its security," he added. Iran impounded a British-flagged and a Panamanian-flagged oil tankerin recent weeks for allegedly breaking international law andsmuggling oil, respectively.The moves were widely seen as retaliation for the seizure of anIranian tanker by US ally Britain off Gibraltar. London alleged thatthat vessel was carrying oil to Syria contrary to EU sanctions.On Sunday Tehran also claimed to have impounded an Iraqi-flaggedvessel for oil-smuggling.France meanwhile hit back at a tweet by US President Donald Trump,who on Thursday said his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron wassending "mixed signals" to Tehran and added that nobody was"authorized" to represent the US.France "requires no authorization" to engage diplomatically withIran, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement."The heightened tensions require political initiatives to restore theconditions for dialogue," Le Drian said.France was "true" to its signature to the 2015 accord "as are theother signatories, apart from the United States," Le Drian said in astatement.Paris "firmly asks Iran to resume compliance with its obligations,"he added.Iran has responded to the US sanctions by gradually breaching some ofthe limits set by the agreement.