Britain Makes Large Scale Deployments to MidEast Targeting Iran: Special Forces, Destroyers, Nuclear Submarines and More

Following the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by the United States on January 3rd, and the subsequent rise in tensions across the Middle East, the British Armed Forces have redeployed a number of major military assets to the region aimed at supporting the U.S. in the event of Iranian retaliation. This follows a major flare in tensions between Tehran and London in the Spring of 2019, after the British Royal Marines boarded and impounded an Iranian oil tanker in the Straits of Gibraltar. Britain, alongside Israel, Germany and Canada, notably blamed Iran for the assassination of Soleimani, claiming it was a defensive measure by the United States. On January 4th Britain deployed 50 elite SAS special forces troops to Iraq, reportedly to protect British citizens there. It was also revealed that SAS units were previously tasked with assassinating Soleimani in 2007, although the operation was called off, and these units have operated alongside other Western special units in Syria and other Middle Eastern theatres against Iranian interests. As commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Quds Force, responsible for overseas operations, General Soleimani worked closely with a number of paramilitary groups which have previously clashed with Western forces - including a number of Iraqi militias.

Other British assets deployed to the Middle East have included a Type 45 Class heavy destroyer, the HMS Defender, and a lighter Type 23 Class frigate, the HMS Montrose, which are capable of deploying a range of cruise and surface to air missiles. The ships were deployed on December 4th. The following day it was announced by British media, citing military sources, that a Royal Navy Austute Class 'hunter killer' nuclear attack submarine had been positioned to strike Iranian targets should it be called to do so. “If things unravel quickly, the UK will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. The hunter-killers are the most advanced submarines in the Royal Navy. They are a deadly asset and there is one well within range of Iran,” the source stated. These deployments followed announcements that the U.S. would deploy 3000 additional personnel to the Middle East, adding to sizeable reinforcements deployed since May 2019. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that the U.S. would strike 52 Iranian sites if Iran responded to the assassination of its general, including not only military sites and government infrastructure but also Iranian cultural heritage.