Iran war LIVE: Drone strike rocks US consulate in Dubai after double attack hit embassy in Riyadh

The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the situation in the Middle East in a call on Tuesday.

It said that Russia's president "reaffirmed his principled position in favour of a swift de-escalation of the conflict and its resolution through political means".

The Defence Secretary has praised the Royal Navy’s “remarkable effort” to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment over the past week.

John Healey said: “I have only praise for our Royal Navy personnel and civilian teams who have worked flat out to prepare HMS Dragon for deployment to the eastern Mediterranean.

“What is normally six weeks of work was completed in just six days – a remarkable effort delivered around the clock. They are the very best of Britain in action.”

HMS Dragon’s commanding officer, Commander Iain Griffin, said: “My ship’s company have worked tirelessly to ensure we are ready for our mission to the eastern Mediterranean.

“I am proud of the professional manner in which they have responded. We are trained for this, we are ready for this, we have the equipment and people, we have the support of the British people and, most importantly, our families and friends.”

British Airways has cancelled hundreds of flights across the Middle East.

The airline said on Tuesday afternoon that it was temporarily reducing its schedule across the region because of “continuing uncertainty” and instability in regional airspace.

BA said all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv have been cancelled until later this month, while flights to and from Abu Dhabi in the UAE have been suspended until later this year.

The carrier did not say how many services had been affected, but the total is likely to run into the hundreds.

In a statement, BA said it was in contact with customers to offer a range of options and added that limited seats remained on repatriation flights from Muscat to London Heathrow on March 11 and 12.

It said those services would pause after those dates because of lower demand, although the airline said the situation remained under constant review.

Katherine Beasley, whose partner Jacob Birch is on board HMS Dragon, told LBC "this is what he's been training for" as the ship departed Portsmouth.

She was stood on the dockside as the warship deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean to defend the British RAF base in Cyprus.

"It's exciting because it's what he's been training for, but I'm pregnant and we're quite sad because I don't know when he's going to be back," she said.

Catherine added: "It's lovely to see everyone get together for the ship and to see all that support. It's really nice."

HMS Dragon has now deployed, but its delayed departure prompted questions after the government said a week ago the destroyer would be sent to the eastern Mediterranean.

The Portsmouth-based Type 45 was not being held at high readiness when the decision was taken. Instead, it had been in dry dock undergoing scheduled repairs ahead of a separate NATO mission.

That meant the warship first had to be refloated, re-equipped for a different role, loaded with weapons, fuel and supplies, and formally certified for deployment.

Defence Secretary John Healey said crews had been working “tirelessly” to get the ship ready, with the process reportedly compressed from weeks into days.

The delays highlights continuing pressure on Royal Navy resources, with only a limited number of destroyers available at short notice.

The UK's Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon will leave Portsmouth for the Eastern Mediterranean today, Sky News reports.

The warship is due to be sent to the eastern Mediterranean to help protect Cyprus and the RAF bases there from further drone or missile attacks by Iran and its proxies.

On Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs the warship would sail from Portsmouth “in the next couple of days”.

The US military used more than $5bn worth of munitions in the first two days of the war against Iran, according to two people familiar with a Pentagon assessment provided to Congress, CNN reports.

The figure, reported as $5.6bn, is said to be fuelling concern on Capitol Hill over how quickly the Pentagon is using up advanced weapons, including long-range precision-guided munitions deployed heavily in the opening days of the conflict.

The US and its allies are also using large numbers of air defence munitions to intercept incoming Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly said Tehran has a “huge stockpile” of such weapons, and said senators would continue pressing officials in closed-door briefings over the daily cost of the war.

According to CNN, several congressional sources said the scale of the conflict means the administration may soon need to ask Congress for extra funding to replenish munitions supplies.

The UK says it brought down a drone in Iraqi airspace overnight, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The MoD said a ground-based British counter-drone unit intercepted a drone heading towards coalition forces.

It added that British pilots have now flown more than 230 hours on defensive missions aimed at protecting British personnel, bases and partners in the region.

The update follows RAF Typhoon operations on Saturday, when UK aircraft shot down drones heading towards Jordan and Bahrain as Britain began defensive air sorties in support of the UAE.

The UK has also moved Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus, where they have now arrived, while HMS Dragon is due to head to the eastern Mediterranean this week for air defence duties.

Describing debates surrounding the impact of the war on fuel prices as “fascinating”, Mr Farage said: “At nine o’clock yesterday morning, the price of heating oil was very different to what it was at six o’clock yesterday evening.

“You might have noticed the spot price of crude rocketed to nearly 120 dollars a barrel (and then) came down to 84 dollars a barrel.

“If the Straits of Hormuz are cleared – I accept that’s an if… oil will be back into the low 80s and heating oil will be similar.”

He spoke to reporters at a petrol station in the Derbyshire Peak District.