Starmer deploys HMS Dragon to Middle East as Trump warns Iran it’s ‘too late’ for talks | EUROtoday

Sir Keir Starmer is getting ready to deploy the warship HMS Dragon to the Middle East in a significant escalation of the UK’s involvement within the intensifying US-Iran battle.

The dramatic transfer comes after one of many UK’s army bases in Cyprus was attacked by an Iranian drone on Sunday night time and follows comparable manoeuvres to guard the Mediterranean island by the Greek Navy on Monday.

In an announcement, the prime minister stated: “The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.

“We’re continuing our defensive operations, and I’ve just spoken with the President of Cyprus to let him know that we are sending helicopters with counter-drone capabilities and HMS Dragon is to be deployed to the region. We will always act in the interest of the UK and our allies.”

It follows Donald Trump’s warning to Iran that it’s “too late” for talks as he presses forward with extra strikes on the theocratic state to forestall its makes an attempt to develop a nuclear weapon.

The authorities has additionally introduced plans for constitution flights to evacuate British nationals caught within the Gulf states, with overseas secretary Yvette Cooper saying 130,000 have already registered with the Foreign Office (FCDO).

The deployment of the warship is the most recent step within the UK being sucked right into a battle which started when the US and Israel launched a barrage of missile assaults on Iran on Saturday, taking out the nation’s management, together with Ayatollah Khamenei and key army property.

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Sir Keir has resisted requires the UK to hitch the assaults and initially blocked the US from utilizing RAF bases from which to launch strikes. But over the weekend, he was compelled to place RAF planes within the sky to defend British property and regional allies and later allowed the US to make use of British bases for defensive measures.

Now he’s about to ship one of many UK’s most superior warships, with some questioning why it was not already in Cyprus. The final time the UK deployed a Royal Navy vessel to a battle the UK was circuitously concerned in was in 2023, when the Commonwealth state Guyana was threatened by Venezuela.

The anticipated resolution to ship HMS Dragon comes after criticism of an absence of air defence within the area, because the Iranian regime has threatened to unleash the “gates of hell” on the US and Israel, following assaults first launched on Tehran on Saturday.

The US has additionally indicated that it plans to escalate the combating additional, threatening one other wave of airstrikes on Iran, warning the “hardest hits” are but to come back.

But Sir Keir’s dealing with of the disaster continues to be coming below intense criticism from opposition events and President Trump, who used a second interview to precise his disappointment within the British prime minister in a single day.

President Trump informed The Sun that he was “very sad” to see that his relationship with Sir Keir is “obviously not what it was”.

Mr Trump added: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK.”

The prime minister has insisted that the Special Relationship between the UK and US stays sturdy and insisted to MPs on Monday: “I stand by my decision.”

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The plan to ship HMS Dragon is being labored up as a result of the ship is on the chopping fringe of taking down drones.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge stated the navy ought to “go now” as a result of “we need the highly capable air defence it provides to protect RAF Akrotiri”. He added: “It begs the question: why wasn’t she already there?”

Ms Cooper stated the federal government had already added to the air defences in Cyprus.

“We have already increased the deployment, with additional defensive capabilities, including radar, F-35 jets, air defence, and counter-drone systems,” she stated.

It comes after a drone struck RAF Akrotiri shortly after midnight on Monday, inflicting minor materials injury to an plane hangar. Another two drones had been intercepted by British warplanes round noon on Monday after they had been scrambled from the air base.

Senior Cypriot officers say the assault was carried out by an Iranian Shahed drone, probably fired by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon.

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France plans to ship air defence techniques to Cyprus and will dispatch a frigate, in addition to anti-missile and anti-drone techniques to the nation, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency has reported.

On Monday, Tom Tugendhat, the previous safety minister, urged the prime minister to deploy warships to the battle.

He stated: “In the last few hours, we know of over 500 rockets that have struck the United Arab Emirates, and no doubt many have struck bases around the area. Will he be deploying HMS Dauntless and HMS Duncan out to the Gulf right now? They’re both at a state of readiness, and I’m sure the defence secretary could give that order this afternoon?”

Sir Keir Starmer replied that he couldn’t go into “operational matters” in public.

In response to reviews that HMS Dragon might be deployed, a former defence secretary accused the federal government of “poor planning”.

Conservative MP Gavin Williamson, a former defence secretary, posted on X: “Why wasn’t this done in January? It was obvious that it would be required when this all started to escalate. This is very, very poor planning.”

Cypriot authorities spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis spoke about the potential for French help on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides had a cellphone name “in the context of strengthening the precautionary measures being taken”, he stated.