UK deploys warship to Middle East with eye on potential Hormuz mission

Britain said on Saturday it was ​deploying its warship HMS Dragon to the ‌Middle ​East in preparation for a potential multinational effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow. HMS Dragon, an air defence destroyer, was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in March, ⁠shortly after the start of the Iran war, to help defend Cyprus.Its relocation to the Middle East follows a move by France to deploy ‌its carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea, as the two countries work together on ‌a defensive plan aimed at restoring confidence in ‌the trade route.”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,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence said. As the ​U.S. ⁠and Iran ⁠inch toward a potential off-ramp from their 10-week war, France and Britain have been working on a ⁠proposal to lay the groundwork for safe transit through the Strait once the situation stabilises.The plan would need coordination with Iran and a dozen countries have indicated a willingness to take part. Britain’s ‌ability to participate in any protective mission will be limited by ​the stretched Royal Navy, which is much smaller now than in the past and which has had to retire some ships before replacements have ​become available.