Unintended escalation? British foreign sec claims US-Iran conflict could kick off ‘BY ACCIDENT’

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned that a conflict in the Gulf between the US and Iran could flare up “by accident,” following rising tensions in the region over the past week.

The warning comes after the US announced the deployment of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Persian Gulf to counter an alleged threat from Iran.

Addressing reporters in Brussels on Monday, where Britain’s top diplomat is set to hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Hunt called for calm to avoid a full-blown conflict between the two adversaries.

We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident with an escalation that is unintended on either side but ends with some kind of conflict

The region is already on edge because of the standoff between Washington and Tehran over the Iran nuclear deal.

Hunt urged the two parties to come up with a peaceful resolution and avoid a scenario of putting “Iran back on the path to renuclearisation,” adding “this is already the most unstable region in the world and it would be a massive step in the wrong direction.”

Saudi Arabia claims two of its oil tankers were damaged in “sabotage attacks” in the Gulf, with Iran calling for an inquiry and warning of “adventurism” by foreign states to disrupt maritime security.

The US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord a year ago, saying it does nothing to prevent Iran from developing stockpiles of missiles or destabilizing the Middle East.

Tensions increased last week, when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that signatories to the deal had 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from the sanctions handed down by US President Donald Trump.

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