Sources confirm the Royal Navy has quietly reinforced its Gulf patrols in the wake of Iran's latest escalation over the Strait of Hormuz. Documents seen by this newsroom show MoD orders for two Type 45 destroyers to remain on station indefinitely, a move that speaks of deep unease in Whitehall. The trigger: Tehran's renewed threat to close the Strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes.
This is not sabre-rattling. This is a calculated squeeze on global energy arteries. Iran has form here.
In 2019, it seized tankers, launched drone strikes on Saudi facilities, and dared the West to respond. Then, as now, the US looked the other way. But the calculus has shifted.
Iran's nuclear breakout is weeks away, not years. Its proxies in Yemen and Iraq are armed with precision missiles that can reach the Gulf. And the British Navy, still reeling from budget cuts, is stretched thin.
One source inside the MoD told me: "We are not at war, but we are not at peace either. Every patrol is a high-wire act."
The Foreign Office has issued bland statements about "freedom of navigation" and "
diplomatic solutions." But diplomats I've spoken to say the real conversation is about insurance premiums for oil tankers, which have tripled in a month. That's the language the markets understand.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has deployed speedboats and anti-ship missiles along the coast. They've rehearsed blocking the Strait in war games. This is a demonstration of capability, not just intent.
The British Navy's reinforcement is a lifeline, not a solution. It buys time. But what happens when the next tanker is boarded?
The last time the UK tried to protect its shipping in the Gulf, it ended with the seizure of the Stena Impero and a humiliating ransom payment. The suits in London are hoping for a quiet summer. The men on the ships in the Gulf know better.
