How is our weakened Navy supposed to cope with the threat from Iran?
SIR – It is the primary duty of the British Government to defend the people, property and interests of the nation. To allow the Iranians to capture, by force, a British-registered oil tanker when specific threats to that effect had previously been made is nothing short of negligent.
Undoubtedly the Royal Navy, like all three Armed Forces, has been allowed to wither away under a procurement policy of buying ever smaller quantities of very expensive weapons systems. As has been demonstrated, these assets can only be in one place at a time.
It is instructive to compare the Iranian military with our own. They have over three times as many regular personnel, more fighter aircraft, four times the number of tanks and – significantly in the current situation – around 1,500 fast attack boats. Their equipment may be older and less capable than ours but, as the saying goes, quantity has a quality of its own.
With only one frigate in the area and no Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker to refuel it at sea, we can only expect the Royal Navy to do so much, although an earlier decision to sail in convoys might have prevented this situation.
Phil Mobbs
Wantage, Oxfordshire
SIR – Yet again we have allowed ourselves to be humiliated by the Iranians. Was it not obvious that Iran would take the first opportunity to seize a British-registered tanker in retaliation for the seizure of the tanker in Gibraltar? Why was HMS Montrose “only minutes away” from seeing off the Revolutionary Guard? Why could it not have been “just in time”? If naval captains are not allowed any latitude or flexibility in command, what is the point of them?
Iran is backed into a corner and will do whatever it feels is necessary to retaliate. Next time it could be a British cruise ship.
Roger Laing
Iver, Buckinghamshire SIR – Why do our tankers not carry a contingent of heavily armed specialists to repel gunboats? American vessels do, and very effective they are too.
Sandy Pratt
Storrington, West Sussex
SIR – It is now time to show that Britain still has very sharp teeth.
We must squeeze the Iranians hard: anything else will be construed as weakness.
Sir Gavin Gilbey Bt
Dornoch, Sutherland
SIR – For several weeks the Foreign Secretary has been promoting himself as a seasoned negotiator. Now he stands up to tell the Iranian government that unless they release the seized British tanker there will be “serious consequences”, adding that these will not include military options.
The Iranians must be quaking in their boots. Hardly the bold leadership that Britain is desperately in need of right now.
Martin Nuttall
Cambridge