'What ships are you sending?': 'Token deployment' of HMS Dragon to Strait of Hormuz unlikely amid Iran strikes
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Keen-eyed Royal Navy personnel are unlikely to be deployed to one of Iran’s major conflict areas due to a lack of resources, a defence expert has said.
Dr Matthew Heaslip, Senior Lecturer of Naval History at the University of Portsmouth, believes HMS Dragon moving to the Strait of Hormuz might not be possible. Alongside the security assignments alongside RAF Akrotiri - hit with a drone strike at the beginning of the conflict - the Type 45 destroyer might not be able to be supported properly.
Iran has shut down strategic stretch of water, with oil-carrying cargo vessels struck by missiles and set ablaze, all while undersea mines are being laid. Discussing the possible deployment of HMS Dragon, Dr Heaslip told The News: “What ships are you going to send? At the moment, the French are sending almost their entire navy to get the Strait of Hormuz back open again, with the Americans there as well. If we’re sending a ship, if we can afford one, does that actually make sense?
“Would it be better for us to look after the North Sea and North Atlantic, and the area where HMS Dragon is in the Mediterranean? It would be a token deployment in the context of what France has sent. It would be a useful task, but I don’t think we have ships to do that. If the situation in Lebanon calms down, then she could be sent down to the Red Sea and round to The Strait of Hormuz. It’ll do a useful job if deployed there, but it would be relatively small compared to France and the United States.”
As reported in Sky News, defence secretary John Healey signalled that British forces need to be ready to defend shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks. This is reminiscent to HMS Diamond’s deployment in the Red Sea in 2024, where she shot down drones fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Mr Healey also said autonomous systems have been prepositioned close-by. He told the national publication: “I have - pre-positioned in the region - some autonomous mine hunting systems. I have been talking to planners today about additional options we can bring to bear alongside allies should it be needed."
HMS Dragon may be asked to respond to the situation in Lebanon. The terrorist group and Iranian-proxy Hezbollah are firing missiles into northern Israel, with explosive retaliatory attacks ordered by president Benjamin Netanyahu. A displacement order was issued within 25 miles of the border, covering Nabatieh and other southern towns and cities. RFA Lyme Bay is being prepared has been placed on heightened readiness in Gibraltar ahead of a possible deployment.
Dr Dafydd Townley, Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth and leading expert on US-UK politics, said the Strait of Hormuz will remain a concern due to rising oil prices. He believes Iran can have its greatest impact there by laying mines, while its stockpile of missiles and drones become more limited.
“While the missiles hitting Israel, Dubai, Qatar, and elsewhere, are likely to cause fear in the civilian population, this is something that has an impact on those beyond the region and can influence nations not involved in the conflict to put pressure on those belligerent nations that are currently attacking Iran,” he said.
“The US will face domestic and international pressure. Pete Hegseth said the country is on it and they don’t need to worry about it. I’d say he does need to worry about it and people within congress will be telling him that. This administration believes it has already won this conflict, but the war is far from over. We’re not anywhere near a conclusion of strategic objectives being achieved, whatever they might be.
“Donald Trump will come under pressure from other nations, especially those who don’t have the capacity to have a military influence in the region. That will create pressure from within the Republican party who don’t want to get involved in this sort of conflict, or want long term commitments to military exercises. They’d rather look at their own borders. Deploying HMS Dragon is a possibility, but I don’t think it’s something Keir Starmer is considering.”