The UK has sent a small team of military experts to the US to develop plans to open the Strait of Hormuz.
This was reported by The Times, citing a briefing held by representatives of the UK Ministry of Defense.
It is reported that the British experts are "traveling" to MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida, where the headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, is located. According to the newspaper, British experts have been called in to help plan and develop options for ensuring the safe passage of ships through the strait.
The Times reports that during a briefing, the UK's First Sea Lord, General Gwyn Jenkins, presented ministers with various options for British action in the current situation. As the newspaper notes, sending British warships to escort merchant ships through the strait is not being considered. However, the article states that the UK is discussing with the US and European partners what could be done after the conflict is over.
“The situation is extremely volatile“, the newspaper quotes an unnamed senior official from the UK Ministry of Defence as saying. "The level of threat is such that I cannot imagine how different countries would want to deploy their ships in the midst of the current threat," he added.
The Times also quoted the UK's Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Al Carnes, as telling a briefing that in 1987, 30 ships were deployed to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.
"That gives an idea of the resources required," he said, adding that the situation today was even more complex and Iran's existing arsenal was wider, including naval mines, ballistic missiles, drones, submarines and surface vehicles.
"I would say it would have to be a multinational solution. We are a long way from that at the moment," Carnes noted.