BERLIN, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Germany strongly condemned the seizure of two merchant ships in the Gulf region and asked Iran to release the second ship immediately, according to a statement by the German Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

This is an unjustifiable intrusion into the civilian shipping industry, which further exacerbates an already strained situation, said the statement, urging Iran to immediately release the second ship and its crew as well.

Another regional escalation would be very dangerous. It would also undermine all ongoing efforts to find a way out of the current crisis, according to the statement, which said that in this serious situation, Germany's solidarity goes to its British partners.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said on Friday that it had seized the British oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that "the British vessel was captured for failing to respect the international maritime rules while passing through the Strait of Hormuz."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that she was worried about the situation in the Gulf region and called for diplomatic contact to avoid the escalation of tension in the region.