Britain, France and Germany should step up to the plate in Mid-East crisis

SO far, the incipient tanker war in the Persian Gulf area has gone according to script. Last week, two oil tankers were hit. In May, four tankers were sabotaged. The oil price has risen. Washington has stepped up patrols; it has now about 300 combat aircraft, 30 warships and 35,000 troops in the region. Tehran has denied responsibility for the attacks.

At the same time, Iran's Revolutionary Guard is using its fast patrol craft and torpedo boats to watch the area and protect its oil installations. Saudi Arabia has called for a "decisive" response, meaning that the US should start a war against Iran. Britain, France and Germany, all joint signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which curbs Iran's nuclear ambitions in return for the lifting of painful economic sanctions, are, as ever, dithering.

The US released a grainy video which purports to show Iran's military removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers, Kokuka Courageous, hours after the attacks. But Yutaka Katada, the owner of the vessel, cast doubt on America's version of events. He said that the ship's crew saw a flying object before a second blast on the tanker. Russia has called for an international investigation. So far, so predictable.