quote:

(CNN) Iran announced the capture of one British ship in the narrow Strait of Hormuz today, and US officials say that a second has also been seized.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that its navy had captured the British-flagged oil tanker, Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran's state-run Press TV. The IRGC accused the tanker of "violating international regulations," to Press TV.

Two US defense officials also told CNN that the tanker had been seized, with one of them saying that it was taken by Iran.

Later in the day, US officials told CNN that another ship -- the Liberian flagged MV Mesdar tanker -- had also been seized by Iran on Friday. Two more US officials told CNN that maritime intelligence reports indicated that the Mesdar had been seized.

The order of seizure of the two ships isn't clear at this time.

quote:

Germany will not participate in a U.S.-led naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz as it wants to ease tensions with Iran, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday.

The United States had asked Germany to join France and Britain in a mission to secure shipping through the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes, and to “combat Iranian aggression”, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin said on Tuesday.

“Germany will not take part in the sea mission presented and planned by the United States,” said Maas, adding the situation in the region was very serious and everything should be done to avoid an escalation. “There is no military solution.”