The United Kingdom has sent a nuclear-powered submarine, HMS Anson, to the Arabian Sea amid rising tensions with Iran.
The move gives Britain the ability to launch long-range missile strikes if the conflict escalates, especially around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.
HMS Anson is armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes. The submarine left Perth, Australia, earlier this month and has travelled about 5,500 miles to reach the northern Arabian Sea.
It surfaces periodically to communicate with the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in London, where any missile launch order would be approved by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The deployment comes after the UK allowed the United States to use British bases, including RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, to strike Iranian missile systems that have threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Initially, Starmer had refused such approval, but after Iran attacked Western allies, the UK changed its stance to support defensive operations.
Tensions escalated further when Iran launched two ballistic missiles toward Diego Garcia, a US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean about 2,500 miles from Iran. One missile failed in mid-air, and the other was intercepted by US naval systems.
The attempt shows Iran may have longer-range missile capabilities than previously thought. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir said Iranian missiles could reach European capitals such as Berlin, Paris, and…
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