“dismissed as baseless claims that its forces have attempted to capture a British oil tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz,” the state-run Tasnim News Agency reported Thursday.

The Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most strategically important, heavily trafficked, and contested waterways in the word.

The Iranian aggression against the British oil tanker “followed threats from Tehran that London would face consequences for the seizure of an Iranian supertanker [violating U.S. sanctions] near Gibraltar last week,” Tasnim noted.

In a statement issued Thursday about its confrontation with Iran, the U.K. Ministry of Defense declared:

Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz. [British frigate] HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranianvessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which hen turned away.

We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.

Strained relations between Iran and the U.K. come against the backdrop of heightening Washington-Tehran tensions. On Wednesday, the Guardian reported:

The United States hopes to enlist allies in the coming weeks for a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters in the Persian Gulf where Washington blames Iran and Iran-aligned fighters for attacks, the Penatgon’s most senior general has said. Under the plan, which has only been finalized in recent days, the US would provide command ships and lead surveillance efforts for the military coalition in seas off Iran and Yemen. Allies would patrol waters near