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The United Kingdom will send a destroyer to the Middle East in preparation for a possible international mission aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the British Defense Ministry announced Saturday.
The ministry stated that HMS Dragon would be deployed in advance as part of contingency planning tied to a future multinational maritime operation jointly led by the UK and France.
"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 ministry spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The ministry noted that HMS Dragon would help strengthen confidence among commercial shipping operators and support mine-clearing operations after hostilities subside.
The move came days after French President Emmanuel Macron said France’s aircraft carrier strike group, led by the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, was heading into the Red Sea.
Macron explained that the deployment was intended to support maritime security in the waterway and would remain separate from the U.S.-led "Project Freedom" operation.
The U.K.- and France-led mission is planned as a defensive multinational operation to protect merchant ships, reassure shipping companies and carry out mine-clearing work in the Strait of Hormuz after a lasting ceasefire, both countries announced last month.
The initiative also backs the full reopening of the strait without restrictions or tolls, while working with the International Maritime Organization and the shipping industry to restore trade and energy flows.
Since early March, Tehran has rolled out plans for a tolling system that could charge vessels seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz up to $2 million per transit.
Before the U.S.-Israel war against Iran began on Feb. 28, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trade through the route has since declined sharply after Iran largely closed the strait, triggering volatility in global energy markets and pushing oil prices higher.
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