The United States condemned what it called an “illegal seizure” and demanded that Iran “immediately release the ship and its crew.”
Iran's seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Oman has sent oil prices soaring, threatening further rises.
On Thursday, as the tanker approached Turkey, gunmen ordered it to a port in Iran. bbc reported on Friday.
After the event, the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil rose more than 2% to $78.40.
The British government has indicated that disruptions in the Red Sea could cause the country's economy to contract much further.
Europe is currently more reliant on gas exports flowing through the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's seizure of the tanker, which local state media described as retaliation for the United States' seizure of the same vessel last year, raises the possibility of further violence in the Middle East, which could have an impact on UK petrol prices.
The United States condemned what it called an “illegal seizure” and demanded Iran “immediately release the ship and its crew.”
An increase in oil costs can cause both inflation and gas pump prices to rise. The UK inflation rate has been declining and stands at 3.9%.
The Automobile Association (AA), a motoring club, reports that on Thursday the average price per liter fell below £1.40 for the first time since October 2021.
The national average for diesel is currently 147.83p per litre, compared to last year's prices of 171.93p.
Iran's capture of the tanker does not appear to be related to attacks that Yemeni Houthi rebels carried out on the Arabian Peninsula in the Red Sea.
However, as Caroline Bain, chief commodities economist at Capital Economics, noted, the oil market's response to these attacks and the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been fairly muted.
“Initially, when the war broke out, there were fears that some of the major oil producers in the region, particularly Iran, but also Saudi Arabia, would become actively involved,” he said.
However, Bain stated that there has been “surprisingly strong growth in US oil production in 2023 and in some other non-OPEC producers such as Brazil and Guyana”, which has “allayed fears of oil supply disruptions.” Middle East”.
