UK's Royal Navy set to lead coalition to reopen Strait of Hormuz: Report

BRUSSELS

The UK's Royal Navy is preparing to take a leading role in potential coalition operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report Tuesday by The Times.

It said UK defense officials are considering plans to deploy a Royal Navy vessel or a leased commercial ship to serve as a "mothership" for autonomous, uncrewed systems designed to detect and neutralize naval mines in the strategic waterway.

The initiative would form part of a broader multinational effort involving allies, including the US and France, to ensure safe passage for commercial shipping through the strait, one of the world’s most critical transit routes.

Officials cited by The Times said the operation could unfold in multiple phases.

The initial stage would focus on mine-hunting using advanced autonomous systems launched from the mothership.

A second phase could see the deployment of uncrewed surface vessels alongside the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers, or solely the destroyers, to protect tankers transiting the area.

"We have world leading capabilities in terms of autonomous mine hunting, as well as fantastic destroyer capability with our Type 45s, and also the development of hybrid navy concept, which provides us with opportunities to avoid putting people into harm’s way to help secure the strait," said an official.

UK defense officials believe naval mines have been laid in the strait, although there remains "a clear path" as Indian, Pakistani, and Chinese ships have continued to transit the waterway.

The regional escalation in the Middle East has continued since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, so far killing more than 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Iran has retaliated with repeated drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

The Strait of Hormuz has also been effectively throttled since early March. Around 20 million barrels of oil normally pass through it daily, and its disruption has driven up shipping costs and pushed global oil prices higher.