Send our warships to Hormuz – even if they don’t return | UK General | UK | news

One of Britain’s most senior military officers today reportedly said the Royal Navy could lose its ships in the Strait of Hormuz – and should send them anyway.

The Express understands that General Sir Nick Carter, who served as the country’s most senior military officer, made the case for joining Donald Trump’s effort to break Iran’s grip on Gulf shipping, even as he explained the scale of the threat facing any ship committed to the mission.

He cautioned journalists that the IRGC has spent years honing its ability to dominate the waterway through fast boats, drone swarms and shore-launched missiles – making it one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world for any navy to operate in.

He explained how our escort ships would also face stiff opposition, adding, “When you do that, you are very vulnerable.

“On the assumption that there are no mines in the water, the threat is mainly about shore-based drones and shore-based missiles.

“Modern air defence systems are capable of dealing with this, as we have seen during the last two or three weeks of this war.

“But we should have no doubt that if they put together all the capabilities of the IRGC,.

The passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be very exciting.”

Asked whether “quite exciting” meant the ships could be lost, he said, “It will be challenging, there’s no doubt; the risks as I’ve described them are significant.”

A task that could take months

While large quantities of mines had been laid across the strait, Sir Nick estimated that the clearance operation alone could last several months – during which the crews would be exposed to attack from the Iranian coastline.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that no single country had the power to handle it; instead, it was “a well-coordinated operation led by the Americans involving multiple countries, carefully planned and implemented.”

Sir Keir Starmer is understood to be reluctant to commit warships to the Royal Navy, with Whitehall sources casting doubt on what assets are actually available.

The problem is compounded by the fact that Britain’s last mine-fighting ship was decommissioned shortly before hostilities began, leaving remote mine-hunting drones as the most reliable option if ministers decided to take action.

Trump is defeated

With allies hesitant, Trump stepped up the pressure today and warned that NATO’s future would be “very bad” if member states continue to withdraw, the Daily Mail reports.

“We will see if they help us. Because I have been saying for a long time that we will be there for them, but they will not be there for us,” he said.

He explained in an interview with the Financial Times that he hoped that those who benefit from the strait would shoulder the burden of securing it, saying: “It is only fair that the people who are beneficiaries of this strait would help to make sure that nothing bad happens there.”

Britain, China, France, Japan and South Korea have all previously been identified by Trump as countries that should contribute ships.

‘It will weigh heavily on all personalities.’

Ministers move to take heat out of Trump’s NATO threat. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, speaking on Sky News, described the relationship between Washington and London as deeper than any one dispute.

He said, “This is a very transactional presidency, and our job is to navigate it, always remembering that the friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom runs very deep.”

“It’s a good relationship. It’s lasting, and I think it will overcome all the personalities involved.”

Sir Nick had a sharper view of the alliance’s responsibilities and limitations.

“NATO was created as a fourfold defensive alliance, and all its articles are essentially orientated towards defence,” he told the BBC.

“This was not an alliance designed for one of the allies to fight the battles of its choice and then force all the others to follow suit.

“It was not designed for that at all, and I’m not sure it’s the kind of NATO any of us want to join.”