Britain is deploying a Royal Navy warship to the Middle East in preparation for a possible multinational mission to protect merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of Defense announced, reports Anadolu.

HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer previously stationed in the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus, will be “pre-positioned” in the region and ready to join a naval initiative of led by Britain and France as soon as conditions permit, several British media reported, citing the ministry’s spokesman.

The proposed mission, backed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We can confirm that HMS Dragon will be deployed to the Middle East to be pre-positioned ahead of any future multinational mission to protect international shipping, when conditions allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” the spokesman said.

“The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of careful planning that will ensure Britain is ready, as part of a multinational coalition led jointly by Britain and France, to secure the strait when conditions permit,” he added.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, prompting retaliation by Tehran against Israel and US allies in the Persian Gulf, as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire came into effect on April 8 brokered by Pakistan, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was subsequently extended by Donald Trump without a specific deadline, paving the way for diplomacy for a permanent solution to the conflict.

Since April 13, the US has implemented a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in this waterway. Trump announced on Tuesday that the US military will temporarily suspend Operation “Project Freedom” to restore freedom of navigation for merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the US blockade will remain “fully in effect”.

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Source: prizrenpost