The tension is highest in the Persian Gulf | Chronic

The UK has stepped up its pressure on Iran to obtain the quick release of the tanker captured in the Strait of Hormuz, while several world powers and the European Union have launched an urgent appeal for of a reduction of tension in the Persian Gulf. Tehran, meanwhile, explained that the ship did not respect the rules of navigation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeremy Hunt, Sunday called the Iranian business leader in London, Mohsen Omid Zamani, to present an official protest after the tanker's capture "Stena Impero".

Hunt had expressed concern on Saturday about the incident and had warned Tehran that the road he had chosen was "dangerous", a position endorsed by Germany and France, whose governments demanded the quick release of the oil tanker, just like Spain; and they called to avoid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian referees, meanwhile, explained that the capture of the British tanker in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz was a reprisal for the capture of the Iranian ship "Grace 1" in Gibraltar two weeks ago, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, Mohamad Yavad Zarif, asked the UK to stop being "Partner in crime" US sanctions against your country.

READ AS WELL: "Tension in the Gulf of Oman: Attack of two tankers"

"The United Kingdom must stop being an accomplice of the economic terrorism of the United States"Zarif wrote on Twitter referring to the sanctions imposed by Washington on Tehran for breaking the 2015 nuclear deal.

However, Zarif also informed by phone his Hunt couple that the tanker's shutdown process should "Meet your legal journey" before a possible release be decided, according to statements from the Iranian ISNA agency.

The British tanker "Stena Impero" and his 23 crew members were captured last Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz, corridor that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and through which pbades a fifth of the crude oil sold in the world.