The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon departed Portsmouth on Tuesday afternoon for the eastern Mediterranean, following a week of rapid preparation after its deployment was announced by the prime minister. The warship is expected to take between five and seven days to arrive off the coast of Cyprus, where it will be able to defend against drone and missile attacks from Iran or its proxies.
Its departure came as the auxiliary vessel Lyme Bay, equipped with medical and aviation capabilities, was placed on heightened readiness in Gibraltar to support potential humanitarian efforts in the Middle East. However, there is no immediate expectation that the UK will join any naval convoy to protect oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz, as British military chiefs believe the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran is too intense.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that France would help establish a "purely defensive, purely escort mission" to ensure safe passage through the strait once the fighting subsides. The UK prefers de-escalation, but could provide RAF support on a defensive basis to protect civilian ships from the air.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the blockade of Hormuz with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday night, agreeing to "work closely together in the coming days in the face of Iranian threats."
Defence Secretary John Healey praised the crew of HMS Dragon, which was hauled out of dry dock maintenance and readied in just six days instead of the usual six weeks. The deployment follows a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on 2 March, which critics say should have prompted earlier action.
