The UK Defence Secretary John Healey announced that the government is considering options to defend commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid rising threats from Iranian attacks. Healey has engaged with defence ministers from the E5 group—comprising Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and the UK—to discuss coordinated responses to the ongoing crisis.
Strategic Military Preparations and Assets
British military planners have been instructed to evaluate possible contributions alongside allied nations to protect oil tankers passing through the Strait, which faces threats from Iranian drones, mines, and missile strikes. This includes deploying autonomous mine countermeasure vessels currently pre-positioned in the region. The UK has also dispatched HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer equipped with advanced air defence systems, to bolster regional security. Additionally, personnel with maritime security expertise are based at the UK headquarters in Bahrain.
Readiness for Evacuations and Operational Limits
Healey emphasized the need for readiness to evacuate UK nationals from the Middle East should the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran escalate. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Lyme Bay has been placed on heightened alert for possible deployment. However, defence cuts have reduced the UK’s capacity in the region compared to a decade ago, when it maintained a larger naval presence including multiple minehunters and support vessels based in Bahrain. Currently, the UK can only support multinational efforts to safeguard shipping lanes alongside key allies, notably the US and France.
Healey acknowledged the seriousness of the disruption to vital oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and urged that the optimal resolution is an end to conflict between Iran, the US, and Israel.
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