A British nuclear-powered submarine has been deployed to the Arabian Sea amid rising tensions in the region, ahead of Iran’s failed ballistic missile attempt targeting Diego Garcia, a key US and British military base in the Indian Ocean. to reports.
HMS Anson – a Royal Navy Astute-class submarine armed with Tomahawk Block IV cruise missiles and heavyweight Spearfish torpedoes – traveled approximately 5,500 miles from HMAS Stirling, near Perth, Australia, to the region earlier in March.
Reportedly the submarine active in the northern Arabian Seaallowing Britain to respond quickly if the conflict escalates.
HMS Anson surfaces periodically to maintain communications with the United Kingdom’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in London, GB News reported.
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HMS Anson, the Royal Navy’s fifth nuclear submarine, has docked in Gibraltar. (UCG/Getty Images)
The outlet reported that Anson is usually based in Faslane, Scotland, where an Iranian man has been charged with attempting to gain entry.
The deployment is said to have taken place shortly after the British government authorized the United States to use British military bases for defensive operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities that threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, Downing Street said the aim of these operations was to “degrade the missile sites and capabilities” used in attacks on ships, while emphasizing that Britain does not want to be drawn into a wider regional conflict.
According to multiple reports, tensions rose on Sunday after Iran launched two ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia. Neither missile reached its target; one reportedly failed in flight, while the other was intercepted.
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Diego Garcia is a strategic base in the Indian Ocean that houses 2,500 American troops. (Reuters)
The attempted attack has raised concerns about Iran’s missile range, as Diego Garcia is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had warned Britain against supporting US or Israeli military action, saying such involvement could further escalate the conflict.
Araghchi told British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that Iran views Britain’s decision to allow US troops to use its bases as “participation in aggression,” according to his account of the call, according to the BBC.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi claimed he told British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that Iran views Britain’s decision to allow US troops to use its bases as “participation in aggression.” (Shadati/Xinhua via Getty Images)
He also criticized what he described as Britain’s “negative and biased” approach and demanded the country end cooperation with the United States.
Britain did not allow the US to use its bases for initial offensive attacks on Iran, but later authorized defensive operations in response to Iranian missile threats.
Downing Street said: “We did not take part in the initial attacks, and we are not getting involved in the wider war.”
Tehran has said that if threatened, it will exercise what it calls its right to self-defense.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that Royal Air Force assets, including Typhoon jets, remain involved in defensive operations in the region.
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The ministry added that British forces have helped counter Iranian drone threats, while coordinating closely with allies.
