Port Report: Mideast Flares Again As U.K. Thwarts Iranian Ship Seizure

A British warship escorted a tanker through the Mideast Gulf yesterday after Iranian naval forces threatened to seize it, the latest incident rattling one of the busiest maritime trade lanes. 

The Ministry of Defense said that the HMS Montrose "ensured the safe passage of the merchant vessel British Heritage through the Strait of Hormuz."

International oil major BP owns the British Heritage, which is capable of carrying one million barrels of crude oil. 

News reports indicate that three Iranian ships confronted the British Heritage before the intervention of the HMS Montrose.