British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dispatched the HMS Dragon destroyer to the Middle East to prepare for a mission that may take place in the future to support ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, after the Iranian conflict ends.
The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) informed that HMS Dragon was deployed to the region to prepare for "a potential role in a strict and independent multinational mission in the future to protect freedom of navigation".
The British Ministry of Defence said that the deployment decision was approved by the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the General Staff after completing "strict weapons testing offshore the island of Crete" to ensure ships are ready for all combat requirements if necessary.
A spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense informed: "We confirm HMS Dragon will be deployed to the Middle East to prepare forces before the possibility of participating in a future multinational mission to protect international maritime transport when conditions allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The arrangement ahead of HMS Dragon is part of a careful preparation plan to ensure Britain's readiness, as part of a multinational coalition co-led by Britain and France, to ensure the security of the strait when conditions permit".
As one of the 6 Type 45 air defense destroyers of the British Royal Navy, HMS Dragon will join the French aircraft carrier group Charles de Gaulle, a force that was just deployed to the Middle East in the middle of this week.
The deployment of British warships takes place in the context that the parties expect the conflict in the Middle East to end soon, and Britain and France affirm that they will support navigation for merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Last week, media reported that the US and Iran are approaching an agreement to end the conflict. President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio both expected Iranian leaders to respond to some key points in the proposal for an agreement to end the conflict on May 8, but the US has not yet received a response. According to US news site Axios, the terms of the agreement will include both sides allowing ships to freely pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
HMS Dragon was deployed to Cyprus after the British RAF Akrotiri airbase was attacked by an Iranian-made drone on the 2nd day of the Iranian conflict, but it took 3 weeks to reach the site.
When deployed to the east of the Mediterranean, HMS Dragon was in a repair dock in Portsmouth, unarmed and still surrounded by scaffolding. The ship took a week to complete the maintenance phase, then another 2 weeks to reach Cyprus at the end of March.
By April, HMS Dragon continued to encounter a water supply system problem, forcing the ship to return to port in the eastern Mediterranean. The British Department said that the ship encountered "a minor technical problem" related to the water system on board and the repair process had been carried out. The British Department spokesman later confirmed that all issues related to water supply had been completely resolved.
