The UK is considering possible options to help defend shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey also signalled that British forces needed to be ready in coordination with allies to evacuate UK nationals from the Middle East if the US and Israeli war with Iran worsens.
He said he had spoken to his counterparts in the so-called E5 group of European powers, which includes Germany, France, Italy and Poland, on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.
On the threat to oil tankers in the Gulf, the senior cabinet minister said the best way to unblock the vital waterway would be an end to the war between the US, Israel and Iran.
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However, as conflict rages and with tankers ablaze, he said he has asked his military planners to look at what the UK could offer alongside other nations to protect commercial tankers needing to pass through the Strait from attacks by Iranian drones, mines and missiles.
An oil tanker on fire near Basra, Iraq, this week. Pic: AP
This could include autonomous vessels that can counter mines.
In addition, the British military has personnel based at a headquarters in Bahrain with expertise in commanding maritime security operations.
The UK is already sending HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, with significant air defence capabilities, to bolster its defences in the region. This ship could also potentially be an option if there is a move to protect shipping.
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“Recognising the huge impact this potentially has on oil prices and the cost of living, there is an international imperative to try and see this resolved,” Mr Healey said, referring to the disruption to the flow of tankers carrying oil and gas through the Strait.
“I have – pre-positioned in the region – some autonomous mine hunting systems,” the defence secretary told reporters, speaking after meeting with commanders at the permanent joint headquarters, PJHQ, in Northwood, in northwest London, which is the main headquarters overseeing British military operations around the world.
“I have been talking to planners today about additional options we can bring to bear alongside allies should it be needed.”
John Healey (left) meeting Cyprus’ minister of defence Vasilis Palmas. Pic: Reuters
However, Mr Healey stressed that this work was “early days”.
“You should not read into that that we have got some hard options poised to go. But… I am discussing additional options with our planners.”
Mr Healey said he had spoken with E5 defence ministers about greater coordination in the Eastern Mediterranean.
He signalled this could also mean in any future evacuation efforts.
“If this conflict worsens, we have to be ready should evacuations be required,” he told commanders.
The UK has placed RFA Lyme Bay, a vast support ship, on heightened readiness to deploy, in a sign of the kind of assets being readied.
However, the options to assist in defending shipping through the Strait of Hormuz or conducting evacuations are more limited than they have been in the past following defence cuts.
A decade ago, the Royal Navy had at least one major warship operating out of Bahrain and up to four minehunters – each one a large, crewed ship – as well as a huge support vessel.
Today, there are no warships based out of Bahrain, with the last crewed minehunter, HMS Middleton, sent back to the UK for maintenance.
It means the UK could only contribute to an effort to protect shipping in the Gulf alongside allies like the US and France.
