Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Saturday that he held a “constructive call” with his Iranian counterpart on the need to defuse tensions.
A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry questioned the legal basis for detaining the ship, which royal marines seized off the coast of Gibraltar last week.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard denied involvement in this latest escalation in the Persian Gulf.
Iran said it will not reverse its decision to enrich uranium beyond the levels set by the 2015 nuclear deal.
A sharp increase in tensions has exposed differences between Washington and its Arab allies over the best approach.
Tehran repeatedly warned it would begin dropping its commitments to the deal if Europe was unable to deliver economic benefits.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, however, said this and other measures violating the 2015 nuclear deal were ‘reversible.’
Iran said its actions do not violate the deal, which calls on the United States to refrain from reimposing sanctions and allows Tehran to cease performing its commitments if it believes any signatories are failing to uphold the agreement.
In interviews, many appear to blame the United States as well as their own government for the economic crisis.
Europe could still stick to the deal without U.S. support, but it may come at a high cost.