Friday , 29 March 2024

UK considering sending drones to Gulf amid Iran crisis: Report

Al-Arabia – The UK is considering sending drones to the Gulf amid an ongoing crisis with Iran, Sky News reportedMonday.

The unmanned aircraft would provide surveillance above the Arabian Gulf.

The UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) has a number of Reaper drones based in nearby Kuwait and flying over Iraq and Syria. These could be re-tasked if the decision to deploy drones to the Gulf is taken, Sky News reported.

Britain announced in August it would be joining the US in a maritime security mission in the Gulf to protect merchant vessels. The UK has sent warships to escort all British-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran seized UK-flagged ship Stena Impero in July.

It was unclear which official Sky News cited for this information. However, they cited senior British naval officer Commodore Dean Bassett as saying, “The direct threat to those British merchant vessels still stands. We’ve seen nothing to suggest that Iran is going to abide by its international obligations.”

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