Military chiefs mulling use of minehunter drones amid Iran oil blockade

Tehran is blockading the narrow sea passage out of the Persian Gulf, stemming the flow from the Middle East and pushing up energy prices across the globe.

In an appeal to nations affected by the price spikes on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: “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!”

The Ministry of Defence responded by saying “a range of options” were being considered to secure shipping through the strait, where some 20% of the world’s oil ordinarily passes through each day.

Numerous oil tankers have come under fire as they attempted to pass through since the start of the conflict.

There have also been growing concerns that Iran has starting placing sea mines in the strait to frustrate shipping.

Military chiefs are now considering the deployment of minehunting drones to deal with that threat, it is understood.

The Sunday Times, which first reported the proposals, said the minehunting drones could be deployed from the Royal Navy’s Mine and Threat Exploitation Group, which is currently in the Middle East.

But the newspaper said it is not known how many drones are in service and which could be deployed.

The Sunday Telegraph meanwhile reported that interceptor drones, made in the UK for Ukraine to use against Russia, could also be used against Iran’s aerial Shahed drones.

That option is understood to be at a much earlier stage of consideration.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz as a means of pressuring the US in his first public statement this week.

Mr Trump has threatened to “wipe out” Kharg Island, a vital part of Iran’s oil infrastructure, should Tehran not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The US has already “totally obliterated” a series of military targets on the island in recent strikes which Mr Trump described as “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East”.

Elsewhere in events related to the Middle East crisis:

– The Metropolitan Police is preparing for a “difficult public order” environment on Sunday, when there will be an Al Quds Day demonstration in London. At least 1,000 officers have been drafted in to manage crowds expected to reach about 12,000 people.

– Fruit and vegetable producers have warned they may be forced to halt production and end the season early because of the rising price of energy and transportation costs linked to the war.

– Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hinted there may be some form of financial help for homes who use heating oil, which is not protected by the energy price cap.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the latest rise in oil prices due to global events showed the importance of moving towards renewable energy.

Writing in The Observer, Mr Miliband said: “As conflict in the Middle East pushes up global oil and gas prices, families will be worrying about the impact on bills here in the UK. The Government’s number one priority is to tackle the affordability crisis.

“We will also act on the single most important long-term lesson: while we are so dependent on fossil fuels, households, business and public finances are exposed, and there can be no proper energy security for our country.

“That is why this Government’s defining mission has been to drive for clean, homegrown power we can control.

“Global events demonstrate there’s not a moment to waste in our drive for clean power. So today I’m announcing a series of initiatives that we will be launching this summer.”