This, as it's turning out, is an interesting question. It's apparently difficult to get a proper answer.
I initially thought that it came out of a suspicion the Gibraltarian authorities had ... that they'd quickly consulted with London, and consensus was that action to seize the ship had to be taken to check things out.
But I've seen nothing (yet) online to back up that belief.
I've come across this .. one of a number of sources online for this same article:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/07...ker-off-spain/
Pertinent quote:
The article is dated 21st July.
I don't know if I trust the article or not .. it has its biased direction ... such as:
.. Sympathy for how we've supposedly shafted Iran in times past (the writer has to go back several decades, for his example) !! And, the suggestion of a trade-off deal, which solves absolutely nothing about Iran's ongoing belligerence.
All that's currently clear is that the UK is - as the latest BBC news broadcast claims - exploring every possible diplomatic avenue it can to defuse things. So, yes. We want to talk. NOT to ACT.
I really want to see how this plays out for Jeremy Hunt's hopes of becoming PM. We should know in the next couple of days. Will Hunt's weakness harm his voter base, or, will Conservatives approve of his 'diplomacy at almost all costs' approach and think it 'enlightened' ?