Britain sends 2nd warship to the Gulf
Show of force as Iran vows Britons will ‘feel slap of Islamic Republic’
A SECOND Royal Navy warship was sent to the Gulf yesterday as Iran warned: ‘Britons will soon feel the slap of the powerful hands of the Islamic Republic.’
Amid mounting tensions following clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, plans to dispatch the Type 45 Destroyer HMS Duncan were brought forward, diplomatic sources said.
Downing Street yesterday said Britain was in talks with the US about forming a naval coalition to protect Western shipping in the region from attack by Iran. ‘We are talking to the US about building on our presence,’ a No 10 spokesman said.
On Wednesday, the Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose was forced to intervene after Iranian patrol boats tried to block the passage of the BP tanker British Heritage.
The three boats, manned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, backed off once the Navy’s guns were aimed at them.
And last week, Royal Marines boarded the Iranian super-tanker Grace 1 off Gibraltar on suspicion of breaking EU sanctions that ban oil sales to Syria.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani warned of unspecified ‘repercussions’ following the seizure.
Tehran vowed retribution yesterday, warning that the UK was playing a ‘dangerous game’.
Kazem Sedighi, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: ‘Rest assured, Britons will soon feel the slap of the powerful hands of the Islamic Republic.’
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the UK of making ‘childish and ridiculous’ excuses for stopping the Grace 1.
He added: ‘They should officially announce they are servants of America.’ Meanwhile, the fear of Iranian retaliation has compelled British firms to pay for ex-military personnel to act as security on board their vessels.
The ‘ observers’ look out for threats from the Iranian Special Forces and call on assistance from the Royal Navy if needed.
Government sources yesterday said HMS Duncan was always going to be deployed to the Gulf, to relieve Montrose as she undergoes maintenance, but that this had been brought forward in light of current threats in the region.
HMS Duncan, which is currently in the Black Sea, is considered to be one of the most advanced warships in the world. A Government spokesman said her deployment would ‘ensure that the UK alongside international partners can continue to support freedom of navigation for vessels transiting through this vital shipping lane’.
Along with Montrose, the Navy has four mine countermeasures vessels and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Cardigan Bay logistics ship in the region.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain wanted to ‘de- escalate’ the ‘serious’ situation, telling the BBC that sending HMS Duncan was ‘about our responsibility to do everything we can to protect British shipping’. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has denied the British Heritage incident.
It came as police in Gibraltar arrested the captain and chief officer of the Grace 1. Gibraltar yesterday said the vessel was carrying 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil to Syria.
The atmosphere in the Gulf has been strained since Donald Trump pulled out of a nuclear deal that had eased sanctions against the Islamic regime – on condition it restricted its nuclear ambitions.