UK redeploys HMS Dragon to Gulf as Trump awaits Iran’s reply amid fragile ceasefire
Britain is sending HMS Dragon back to the Middle East to pre-position for a possible international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington waits for Iran’s response to a US peace proposal and reports point to sporadic clashes despite a fragile ceasefire.
The deployment is part of a proposed UK- and French-led defensive operation. Officials said the Type 45 destroyer will “pre-position” in the region, ready to contribute once hostilities between Iran and US-Israeli forces end. In the United States, Donald Trump said he was still expecting a reply from Tehran regarding a US proposal.
“I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight,” the president told reporters, adding, “So we’ll see how that goes.” As of late Friday, US officials had not disclosed any Iranian response to their offers, and by Saturday morning none had been announced. Tensions around the waterway remained volatile.
Reports on Saturday described a state of relative calm around the Strait of Hormuz after days of flare-ups, but both sides reported incidents on Friday. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said there were sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and US vessels in the strait.
The Tasnim news agency later cited an Iranian military source saying the situation had calmed, while warning further clashes were possible. The US military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to enter an Iranian port, with a US fighter jet hitting their smokestacks and forcing them to turn back.
Earlier accounts described the ships as Iranian-flagged oil tankers accused of breaking an American blockade. Iran has accused the United States of violating the ongoing ceasefire, which President Trump insists is still holding. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, wrote on X that Washington opts for a “reckless military adventure” whenever “a diplomatic solution is on the table.” Clashes extended beyond the waterway.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defences engaged two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran on Friday, leaving three people with moderate injuries. Analysts have warned that sustained disruption to the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz could deepen global economic risks, even as talks continue.
In Europe, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Saturday that Europe wants to work to keep the NATO alliance functioning despite differences with the United States that the Iran war has exposed. Speaking alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, he noted tensions had risen after Germany and other European countries declined to support the US and Israeli war against Iran that began at the end of February.
For now, HMS Dragon’s redeployment positions the UK to join a defensive escort effort if it goes ahead, while diplomats wait to see whether Tehran responds to Washington’s proposal and whether the recent lull around the strait holds.