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The UK plans to deploy a European-led naval force to ensure safe shipping through the strait of Hormuz after Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker in what the UK has called an act of state piracy.

British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt made the announcement on Monday following an emergency ministerial meeting to respond to Friday’s incident.

The Islamic revolutionary guard corps (IRGC) commandos seized the Stena Impero tanker for allegedly failing to respect international maritime rules.

Hunt said, under international law, Iran had no right to obstruct the ship’s passage let alone board her.

The UK has called on Iran to release the vessel and its 23 crew members immediately, with British prime minister Theresa May’s spokesman describing the seizure, an apparent retaliation for the British capture of an Iranian tanker two weeks earlier in Gibraltar as illegal.

In response, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran’s actions were not in retaliation for the British capture of the Iranian tanker warning the west against starting a conflict.