<span style="color: #222222;">Germany and France today called on Iran to immediately release a British oil tanker it seized a day earlier in the Strait of Hormuz. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">A statement by the German Foreign Ministry said the seizure was a dangerous further aggravation of an already tense situation. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Foreign Ministry of France, in a statement, said Iran's action hampers a necessary de-escalation of tensions in the Gulf region. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">It called on Iranian authorities to quickly release the ship and its crew and to respect freedom of navigation principles in the Gulf. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">US President Donald Trump said he would hold talks with Britain about the tanker's seizure by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. He was talking to reporters at the White House.<br />'' <br />'' The UK government said it was deeply concerned about what it called Iran's unacceptable actions. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt freedom of navigation must be maintained and warned of serious consequences if the situation is not resolved quickly.<br />'' <br />'' The capture of the Swedish-owned, British-flagged Stena Impero yesterday by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was a dangerous further aggravation of an already tense situation.  <br />'' <br />''Iran said the vessel was violating international maritime rules.</span>