UK may send ships and mine-hunting drones to help open strait of Hormuz, says Miliband

Britain is considering sending ships and mine-hunting drones to the Middle East in an attempt to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Ed Miliband has said.The energy secretary confirmed on Sunday that ministers were talking to their allies about how the UK could help secure the vital waterway after the US president, Donald Trump, urged Britain and other countries to deploy ships to the region.About 20% of the world’s oil supply passes through the strait, and its effective closure earlier in the war has sent oil prices rocketing from approximately $65 a barrel to about $100 (£75). The shift has prompted alarm among western countries, with governments facing the prospect of another rise in energy prices and inflation more broadly.Miliband told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that ministers were looking at all options for helping to reopen the strait. “It is very important that we get the Strait of Hormuz reopened. And we have already been talking with our allies, including the US, about this,” he said.He added: “There are different ways that we could contribute, including with mine-hunting drones. All of these things are being looked at in concert with our allies … Any options that can help to get the strait reopened are being looked at.”Miliband was speaking a day after Trump wrote a post on social media calling for the UK, China, France, Japan, South Korea and others, to send naval vessels to the region.“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.“We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated.“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”His message came a week after he insisted the US did not need further help from Britain. “It’s a little bit late to be sending ships, right?” he told CBS News. “A little bit late.”Britain is reportedly considering sending mine-hunter drones, which trick mines into detonating safely by flying in a pattern that makes them look like passing ships. However, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and senior military figures have come under fire for not deploying ships to the Middle East more quickly.HMS Dragon departed for Cyprus on Tuesday, where it will bolster the RAF base at Akrotiri. The navy no longer has mine-hunting ships in the region after the last one was towed back from Bahrain days before the conflict began.Ministers are also considering the domestic fallout of higher energy prices, which threaten to derail the UK’s nascent economic recovery.Asked on Sunday whether the government would cancel a rise in fuel duty planned for September, Miliband said ministers would “stand by” the British people. “We will stand by the British people in this, in this crisis, and we’ll do what it takes to do that,” he said.Government officials say no decision has been taken on the fuel duty rise.