'Range of options': UK considers Royal Navy mine-hunting drones to unlock Iran blockade on Strait of Hormuz
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Sophisticated mine-hunting drones could be used to unblock Iran’s stranglehold over a key oil shipping route.
The UK is considering whether to use autonomous Royal Navy systems to deal with explosives in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump urged the UK and other nations to deploy naval vessels to the area, after previously stating he did not need Britain’s fleet for any supporting operations.
Tehran is blockading the narrow sea passage out of the Gulf, stemming the flow from the Middle East and pushing up energy prices across the globe. Numerous oil tankers have come under fire as they attempted to pass through since the start of the conflict. There have also been growing concerns that Iran has starting placing sea mines in the strait to frustrate shipping. Military chiefs are now considering the deployment of mine-hunting drones to deal with that threat, it is understood.
The Sunday Times, which first reported the proposals, said the mine-hunting drones could be deployed from the Royal Navy’s Mine and Threat Exploitation Group, which is currently in the Middle East. The national publication said it is not known how many drones are in service and which could be deployed.
The Sunday Telegraph meanwhile reported that interceptor drones, made in the UK for Ukraine to use against Russia, could also be used against Iran’s aerial Shahed drones. That option is understood to be at a much earlier stage of consideration.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said “a range of options” are being considered are being considered to secure shipping through the strait, where some 20% of the world’s oil ordinarily passes through each day.
Mr Trump said Nato faces a “very bad” future should its member states fail to help, adding: “We’ll see if they help us. Because I’ve long said that we’ll be there for them but they won’t be there for us.” In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Trump reiterated his call for allied assistance in the Strait of Hormuz, telling the paper: “It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there.”
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is due to address the nation today (March 16). He’s expected to announce a £50m support package for those who use heating oil to warm their homes, as they face spiralling costs due to the war. The cost of heating oil, which is used by around 1.5 million homes, has doubled since the crisis began. It’s likely that Sir Keir will decline Mr Trump’s request for Royal Navy warships to be deployed to secure the Strait of Hormuz.