Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
Drone minesweepers that can track and identify undersea threats in the Gulf could be deployed with a mother ship from the UK to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
The autonomous Royal Navy boat Harrier will replace manned mine countermeasure vessels, along with torpedo-like Iver4 underwater drones that are scheduled for deployment.
The lightweight autonomous vehicle is designed for use in shallow coastal environments. The Iver4 can operate at depths of up to 100 metres to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors.
A British official said the right type of ships were available on the market. “We have got opportunities, potentially with some capabilities, to charter vessels and use a much more commercial [deployment] model,” they said.
Britain’s navy believes that by chartering civilian vessels to be used as the mother ships for the drones it will be well placed to help clear Iranian mines from the key waterway. A fifth of the world’s oil exports, as well as natural gas and chemical products, passes through the strait.
According to US intelligence officials, Iran has seeded the strait, which is about 35km wide at its narrowest point, with several Maham 3 mines that detonate once their magnetic sensors pick up nearby shipping.
The Royal Navy has already commissioned a former civilian ship, HMS Stirling Castle, which is being prepared to carry anti-mine drones.
The navy is understood to be seeking bigger vessels with open deck space similar to the former Canadian icebreaker Polar Prince, which deployed mini-submarines on to the Titanic wreck, including the ill-fated Titan.
There is also a plan to recommission three Bay-class landing ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and turn them into mother ships for the drone minesweepers.
The UK has also offered to host a security summit of European, US and Gulf states to agree how to open a safe route through Hormuz “and provide that reassurance to merchant shipping”, the British official said.
More than 30 countries, including the UAE, UK and European states, have signed a joint statement to work on “appropriate efforts” to reopen the strait. Its effective closure by Iran has severely affected global economies and led to spiralling energy costs.
The conference, which could be held in London or at the Royal Navy base in Portsmouth, will consider options to secure the strait with drones, but officials have conceded that would be challenging.
Like the US, Britain has withdrawn all its crewed minehunters from service. The last remaining ship, HMS Middleton, left the Gulf just days before the US and Israel attacks were launched.
If the war continues, it is likely that international navies will gather a force of warships and minehunters to offer protection for oil tankers and cargo vessels to transit the strait.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte are leading the push to assemble a package to reopen the Gulf to shipping by instigating meetings on the issue, including defence chiefs gathering later this week.
