Iran says a European naval coalition for Gulf would send hostile message: Fars

European countries forming a naval coalition for the Gulf would send a hostile message, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Sunday, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

France, Italy and Denmark gave initial support for a British plan for a European-led naval mission to ensure safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, proposed after Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged tanker, three senior EU diplomats said last week.

“What you’ve heard, that they want to send a European fleet to the Persian Gulf sends a hostile message, is provocative and will increase tension,” Rabiei said.

Britain, France, and Germany, with support from the rest of the EU, are trying to save the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and major powers, under which Tehran undertook to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.