Whitehall sources confirm a flotilla of merchant vessels, including a handful of British-flagged tankers, are now moving through the Strait of Hormuz. This is the first major transit since the surprise US-Iran agreement was announced in Geneva. The Royal Navy is providing close escort.
HMS Montrose and HMS Defender are on station. No incidents reported so far. But the mood in Westminster is brittle.
The deal is fragile. Critics on the backbenches are sharpening their knives. The PM's office is bracing for a Commons showdown.
One senior Tory MP called the deal 'a sellout.' Labour is demanding a Commons vote. The PM is gambling that the optics of safe passage will silence the sceptics.
For now, the tankers are moving. The risk is real. A single mine or a rogue fast attack craft could unravel everything.
Defence sources say the Navy is at 'maximum readiness.' The next 24 hours are critical.
