Iran warns British warships face 'immediate response' as HMS Dragon sets sail for Middle East
The fresh warning came as a British cargo ship was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile on Sunday morning
British warships in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with a swift repsonse from Iran, the country's deputy foreign minister said in a stark warning as the UK's HMS Dragon heads to the Middle East.
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The British Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday that the HMS Dragon warship would be redeployed to the Middle East ahead of a potential international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
In an a chilling repsonse, Iran's deputy foreign minister said the potential deployment of British and French warships in the vital waterrway will be seen as a huge escalation in the conflict.
"Any deployment and stationing of destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz, under the pretext of 'protecting shipping', is nothing but an escalation of the crisis," he wrote on social media.
He added: "The presence of French and British warships, in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially accompanying the illegal and internationally unlawful actions of the US will be met with immediate decisive response."
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Earlier, Iran warned countries supporting US sanctions on Iran will 'face difficulties' trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian army spokesperson has said.
Iranian lawmakers have said they are drafting a bill to formalise Iran's management of the Strait of Hormuz, with clauses including forbidding passage to vessels of "hostile states."
The warning from army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia came as a British cargo ship was reportedly struck by an unknown projectile on Sunday morning while sailing 23 miles northeast of Doha, Qatar.
The strike sparked a small fire that was extinguished, with no injuries reported according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.
Authorities are investigating the source of the projectile while ships in the area have been urged to travel with caution.
The decision to move HMS Dragon from the eastern Mediterranean, where it had been defending British bases on Cyprus, will allow the destroyer to contribute immediately should the defensive mission in the strait be launched.
It comes as the United States is still waiting for Iran's response to its latest proposals to end more than two months of fighting and begin peace talks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington expected a response within hours. But there have been no signs of movement from Tehran on the proposal, which would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the narrow strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
A fragile ceasefire remains in place, although attacks on Friday saw US forces hit two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach the blockade imposed by Donald Trump.
The US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports last month - although CIA intelligence has suggested Iran could withstand the economic pressure of a blockade lasting several months, raising questions over the efficacy of the measure as leverage.