Iran issues horror 3-word warning to Britain over Royal Navy warship | World | News

Iran has threatened that the deployment of British and French warships to the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an “immediate and decisive reaction”. The country’s deputy foreign minister said: “The deployment and deployment of destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz under the pretext of ‘protecting shipping’ is nothing more than an escalation of the crisis.”

“The presence of French and British warships in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially accompanying US illegal and internationally unlawful actions, will be met with an immediate, decisive response.” This comes after the UK Ministry of Defense said on Saturday it would deploy the destroyer HMS Dragon to the Middle East as part of any future efforts to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Type 45 destroyer will “take a forward position” in the region, ready to join the British and French-led initiative once hostilities between Iran and US-Israeli forces end.

The proposed mission, backed by Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, would involve a coalition of countries seeking to secure freedom of navigation in the strait.

A Ministry of Defense spokesman said: “We can confirm that HMS Dragon will deploy to the Middle East to take forward positions ahead of any future multinational missions to protect international shipping when conditions allow them to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

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

The decision to remove HMS Dragon from the Eastern Mediterranean, where it defends British bases in Cyprus, will allow the destroyer to contribute immediately if the defensive mission in the strait is launched.

About 40 countries are participating in the multinational plan to escort ships through the Bosphorus when conditions allow.

Alongside HMS Dragon, the RFA Lyme Bay support ship is also being converted to serve as a mothership for mine-hunting drones that could help clear the waterway.

The decision to send HMS Dragon was signed by Defense Secretary John Healey and Chief of the Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.