British fighter jets have been sent to Qatar to help defend the Gulf region as the potential for conflict involving Iran increases.
The UK government said on Friday that it “noted regional tensions” as it sent the squadron of Typhoon jets to Al Udeid airbase, near Doha. The Ministry of Defence said the jets would form No 12 Squadron, a joint RAF-Qatari unit, to “bolster defensive capability in the region” at the invitation of the Qatari government.
“This partnership bolsters the national security of both our nations and supports stability in the Gulf region,” said UK Defence Secretary John Healey. “Today’s deployment builds on those shared aims as Typhoon jets from our joint squadron deploy to support its defence.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, part of a strike group equipped with F-35 fighters, is also expected to arrive in the Gulf early next week, having transited the Malacca Strait on Wednesday. It is accompanied by American guided-missile destroyers and submarines as further US defensive equipment is moved into the region, including Patriot and THAAD air defence batteries.
US President Donald Trump said late on Thursday that he sent the “armada” of warships towards Iran “just in case". A second aircraft carrier, the George HW Bush, is also understood to have been sent from Norfolk, Virginia, and is to reach the Middle East in the coming weeks.
Defence sources told The National that the build-up in the region “is very much in line with the potential for a US strike on Iran”.
“The RAF presence is not only reassurance, but is also to provide a further defensive layer against any Iranian retaliation,” the source said. The jets are “highly capable” of shooting down Iranian Shahed-136 drones, the source added.
The multi-purpose fighters have also been used regularly to strike ISIS fighters in Syria and were part of joint operations with US forces to hit Houthi targets in Yemen last year. Britain described the move to Doha as “defensive and co-operative”, undertaken under the UK-Qatar Defence Assurance Agreement, and demonstrated the “crucial role of these jets in reinforcing global security”.
There is also a fear that Iran could repeat its strike on Al Udeid, after Tehran launched a rocket attack in June last year after US strikes on nuclear sites. The airbase houses US Central Command, making it a potential target for Iranian action.
Britain reinforced the region last year before the 12-day Israel-Iran war, when the UK sent “contingency support” in case of a wider conflict.
The Typhoons, which the Ministry of Defence announced last week will have a £500 million ($675 million) radar upgrade, were also sent to Qatar to offer support during the 2022 World Cup.
