British troops in Iraq shoot down Iranian drones after base attacked | EUROtoday

British troops in Iraq shot down two Iranian drones after their base got here underneath assault, it emerged on Thursday as defence secretary John Healey refused to rule out deploying warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

Bases in Erbil – the place UK and allied troops are stationed – and Baghdad have been struck “a number of times” on Wednesday night time, in response to Brigadier Guy Foden, in what’s the third assault on British forces because the battle started.

It follows a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and a missile touchdown 400m from UK personnel in Iraq.

No British troops have been harmed within the newest incident, however US personnel sustained some gentle casualties.

Mr Healey stated the Iranian assaults bear putting similarities to the Russian strikes on Ukraine, including that Vladimir Putin’s “hidden hand” could also be behind a few of Tehran’s ways within the Middle East battle.

Brigadier Foden instructed Mr Healey there have been “definitively” indicators of a hyperlink between Russia and Iran, together with Iran’s use of drones “as learned from the Russians”.

Asked for examples of such hyperlinks, Mr Healey stated: “At the moment, we’re taking part in analysing the drone that struck the hangar at Akrotiri for any evidence of Russian or any other foreign components and parts.

“We will update you and appropriately publish any findings from that when we’ve got them, but I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics, potentially some of their capabilities as well, not least because one world leader that is benefiting from the sky-high oil prices at the moment is Putin.

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“It helps him with a fresh supply of funds for his brutal war in Ukraine.”

Mr Healey additionally refused to rule out defending the Strait of Hormuz after Iran vowed to maintain blocking the very important delivery channel, which has seen the value of heating oil double previously week and raised fears about vitality costs.

He stated: “The two things that I think are most significant are, first, that recognising the huge impact that this potentially has on oil prices and on people’s cost of living around the world. There is an international imperative and incentive to try and see this resolved. Big steps like the record release of reserve oil helps, but doesn’t solve the problem.

“The second is a realism that in a in circumstances of conflict, demining any waters is extremely difficult and therefore, in addition to the additional options that, of course, as defence secretary, I’m discussing with our planners, in part, reflecting the fact that I’ve already got some demining autonomous systems in place in the region since before the conflict.”

Britain has no out there warships in or close to the area at current, though HMS Dragon set sail this week for Cyprus, the place it should shield UK airbases.

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Two tankers within the Gulf have been set ablaze in a single day by hits from suspected Iranian boats carrying explosives, whereas a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile close to the UAE.

Israel continued to ramp up its assaults on Beirut, threatening to take Lebanese territory in what could be a serious escalation.

Iran issued a press release claiming to be from the supreme chief, Mojtaba Khamenei, threatening to launch new assaults on US bases within the area and “avenge the blood of the martyrs”.

Meanwhile, President Trump responded to the newest threats from Tehran by saying he would “stop an evil empire” and repeated his warning that Iran is not going to be allowed to have nuclear weapons.