In the Persian Gulf, tensions are running high after Britain’s government accused Iran’s Navy of unsuccessfully trying to block passage of a British commercial ship through the Strait of Hormuz—a charge Iran denies. British authorities say the Iranian warships were stopped only after a U.K. navy vessel issued “verbal warnings.” This comes after police in Gibraltar say they arrested the captain and chief officer of a detained Iranian oil tanker accused of violating European Union sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.