Jeremy Hunt warned yesterday that there was a 'great risk' of escalation in the Gulf, adding that Washington wanted the situation to end in negotiations.
A Japanese-owned tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, and a Norwegian-operated one, the Front Altair, were attacked on Thursday and left ablaze as they were passing through the Gulf of Oman.
Britain has concluded that responsibility 'almost certainly' lies with Iran.
Asked on the BBC about the possibility of escalation, Mr Hunt said: 'This is the great risk of the situation that we are in.
'Both sides in this dispute think that the other side wouldn't want a war. We are urging all sides to de-escalate.
'Having spoken to President Trump, I am absolutely clear that for America they want this to end in negotiations.
'Let's see Iran stop its destabilising activities in Lebanon through Hezbollah, in Yemen where they are firing missiles into Saudi Arabia, on the Gulf as we have seen. That is the long-term solution.'
An oil tanker is seen after it was attacked at the Gulf of Oman, in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran on Thursday - Donald Trump said the two attacks had Iran 'written all over it'
The attack on the tanker left it ablaze and adrift while sailors were quickly evacuated
Jeremy Hunt, pictured talking to Andrew Marr this morning, said he was 'absolutely clear' American wants to end the stand-off peaceably
The damaged Kokuka Courageous arrived Sunday at a UAE anchorage site as Saudi Arabia accused arch-rival Iran of being behind the attack.
US President Donald Trump has said the twin attacks had Iran 'written all over it' - rejecting Tehran's vehement denial.
Hunt defended his assertion that Iran was 'almost certain' to blame for the attacks.
'We have done our own intelligence assessment. We have got videos of what happened. We have seen evidence. We don't believe anyone else could have done this,' he said.
The owner of the Japanese vessel said Friday in Tokyo however that the crew saw a 'flying object' prior to a second blast on board citing two apparent attacks.
He added he believed initial reports suggesting a torpedo was involved in the attack were incorrect as the damage was above the sea surface not below water, which would have suggested a torpedo.
Today the two damaged tankers arrived safely to locations off the Emirati coast.
The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday when it came under attack along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair - the second assault in a month in the strategic shipping lane.
US President Donald Trump has said the operation had Iran 'written all over it' - rejecting Tehran's vehement denial - and its key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia has also lashed out against Tehran.
President Donald Trump on Friday charged Iran with attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and warned Tehran their actions will not be taken lightly. 'Iran did do it,' Trump said on 'Fox & Friends' when he called in to the morning show for an interview
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (right) met in Tehran on Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who on Friday condemned the attack but didn't say who he blamed for it
In his first public comments since the attacks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that he would not hesitate to tackle any threats to the oil-rich kingdom.
'We do not want a war in the region... But we won't hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity and our vital interests,' he told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
He said Iran had responded to a visit to Tehran by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 'by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese'.
Abe had been on an unprecedented visit to the Iranian capital in a bid to defuse tensions between Washington and the Islamic Republic when the attacks took place.
The US military on Friday released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an 'unexploded limpet mine' from the Japanese vessel.
The crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw a 'flying object' before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday.
The vessel's Singapore-based BSM Ship Management said in a statement today that it had 'arrived safely at the designated anchorage' and that its crew were 'safe and well'.
A damage assessment and preparations for transferring the ship's cargo would start once
