Britain Sends 'Lethal Warships’ To Persian Gulf

To deter Iran and its backed groups.

The UK will send the destroyer HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, to the Persian Gulf to deter growing threats to shipping from Iran and Iranian-backed groups, according to Grant Shapps, the defence secretary.

The Defence Secretary says the move aims to reduce the risk of the current crisis between Israel and Hamas escalating into a regional conflict.

"This is a response to what's happening in the region," he told a group of reporters. In a statement, the senior minister added: "It is critical that the UK bolsters our presence in the region, to keep Britain and our interests safe from a more volatile and contested world," Sky News quoted Defence Secretary Shapps.

Equipped with a Wildcat helicopter, the Royal Navy destroyer will be joining HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 frigate, as well as three smaller minehunters and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship.

Also, a Royal Navy task force of seven ships will deploy with allies early next month on a mission in European waters to protect critical underwater infrastructure such as cables, which are known to be a high-value target for hostile states such as Russia.

The joint patrols will be the first operation by a UK-led grouping of 10 like-minded European nations called the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). It will cover a wide area from the English Channel to the Baltic Sea.