A Royal Navy warship is being sent to the Middle East to be ready to join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon will “pre-position” in the region, ready to join the UK and French-led initiative once hostilities cease between Iran and US-Israeli forces.
The warship had been sent to the eastern Mediterranean to defend British bases on Cyprus after Donald Trump launched his war with Israel against Iran, which hit back against other countries in the region.
A fragile ceasefire remains in place, although attacks on Friday saw US forces hit two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach the blockade imposed by the US President.
The proposed mission championed by Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron would involve a coalition of nations willing to ensure freedom of navigation in the strait, a vital route for global oil and gas supplies along with other goods including fertiliser.
The decision to move HMS Dragon will allow the destroyer to contribute immediately should the defensive mission in the strait be launched.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We can confirm that HMS Dragon will deploy to the Middle East to pre-position ahead of any future multinational mission to protect international shipping when conditions allow them to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
“The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of prudent planning that will ensure that the UK is ready, as part of a multinational coalition jointly led by the UK and France, to secure the strait, when conditions allow.”