Is Washington's ally the United Kingdom making preparations to 'do more' related to the Iran crisis at the behest of President Trump?
New reporting in The Associated Press suggests so. But the new Monday report also points to the UK possibly just making an appearance of action: "Aboard the RFA Lyme Bay docked off the coast of Gibraltar, hundreds of British sailors are waiting to be deployed for a mine-clearing mission to the Strait of Hormuz that is still in doubt," the report says.
The AP continues, "On the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, the U.K.’s Royal Navy is preparing to do that — but only once a peace agreement is reached."
So indeed this potential mine-clearing mission by the Royal Navy is heavily dependent on a series of conditions and caveats being met. Currently Washington has been teasing that a final deal with Tehran is nearing the goal-line.
And yet the latest words from Tehran have voiced caution, and have warned against any premature assessments.
Back in March Trump had told NATO allies to "go get your own oil" and secure the strait themselves amid a series of reprimands for not joining a US-led coalition in the Persian Gulf.
For now, the UK Royal Navy mission is in a holding pattern:
Britain’s Armed Forces Minister Al Carns took a small group of reporters to visit the RFA Lyme Bay as it prepares for a possible international operation, led by the U.K. and France, to secure the strait. As Carns spoke, the amphibious landing vessel, docked at the gateway to the Mediterranean, was being loaded with ammunition and mine-hunting sea drones equipped with sonar.
With a crew of several hundred sailors, the RFA Lyme Bay will soon depart Gibraltar to link up with the U.K. destroyer HMS Dragon and allied ships for air support before sailing through the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf.
Again, all this seems merely London's way of signaling to Trump that it is preparing to take action in support of the US but without actually pulling the trigger.
Other European nations have made similarly symbolic displays, such as pledging support for a post-war navigation mission, but not actually signing on to a regional deployment while the conflict is still in an active phase.
Weeks ago, Iran allegedly fired off more drones on Gulf states, which highlighted how fragile the current ceasefire remains, and even amid continued Qatar-led diplomatic mediation efforts.