UK Contributes Drones, Typhoon Jets, and Warship to Strait of Hormuz Shipping Mission

Britain said it will contribute drones, fighter jets and a warship to a joint mission aimed at safeguarding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with Defence minister John Healey announcing the package at a virtual summit of defence ministers on Tuesday.

The UK contribution includes autonomous systems to detect and clear naval mines, drone boats and Typhoon jets for air patrols, and it is backed by £115m in new funding for mine-hunting drones and counter-drone systems.

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The BBC said more than 40 other nations are involved and the mission would begin when conditions allow, while the UK government said the defensive mission would become operational when conditions allow and is designed to restore confidence for commercial shipping.

The UK government also said HMS Dragon is already on its way to the Middle East and will be ready for potential future operations in the Strait, and it added that RFA Lyme Bay continues to be upgraded to add uncrewed equipment if required.

POLITICO reported that Defence Secretary John Healey made the pledge at a meeting of defense ministers in London on Tuesday, offering new British-built uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to a U.K.-French-led multinational mission to reassure international shipping in the event of a lasting truce.

POLITICO said the surface vessels would be offered in addition to U.K. autonomous minehunting systems and the forward deployment of the warship HMS Dragon, a Type-45 Destroyer, and it quoted a Downing Street spokesperson saying ministers had "agreed that number one priority remains getting the Strait of Hormuz open again, so that international shipping can resume."

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In the same POLITICO account, Keir Starmer urged his party colleagues to focus on achieving stability in the Middle East amid a threat to his leadership, and it included Healey’s support for Starmer as dozens of Labour MPs called on the PM to quit.

The BBC added that Healey offered his support to Sir Keir Starmer as dozens of Labour MPs called on the prime minister to resign, and it quoted Healey saying Sir Keir was leading the country through "conflicts and looming global crises".

The UK government said the multinational plan is strictly defensive in nature and is designed to restore confidence for commercial shipping along the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical trade routes through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.

It described the force package as including advanced autonomous mine hunting equipment, the Royal Navy’s modular ‘Beehive’ system that can deliver high-speed, autonomous Kraken drone boats, and UK Typhoon jets ready to conduct air patrols over the Strait of Hormuz.

The BBC said for months Iran has been controlling the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, and it said the US has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports to exert pressure on Tehran to agree to its terms.

The BBC also said a ceasefire has been in place between the US and Iran since April, but US President Donald Trump has said it is on "massive life support," while the UK Ministry of Defence said the multinational mission is aimed at restoring confidence for commercial shipping along the Strait of Hormuz.