British troops in Iraq shot down two Iranian drones after their base came under attack, it emerged on Thursday as defence secretary John Healey refused to rule out deploying warships to the Strait of Hormuz.
Bases in Erbil – where UK and allied troops are stationed – and Baghdad were struck “a number of times” on Wednesday night, according to Brigadier Guy Foden, in what is the third attack on British forces since the conflict began.
It follows a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and a missile landing 400m from UK personnel in Iraq.
No British troops were harmed in the latest incident, but US personnel sustained some light casualties.
Mr Healey said the Iranian attacks bear striking similarities to the Russian strikes on Ukraine, adding that Vladimir Putin’s “hidden hand” may be behind some of Tehran’s tactics in the Middle East conflict.
Brigadier Foden told Mr Healey there were “definitively” signs of a link between Russia and Iran, including Iran’s use of drones “as learned from the Russians”.
Asked for examples of such links, Mr Healey said: “At the moment, we’re taking part in analysing the drone that struck the hangar at Akrotiri for any evidence of Russian or any other foreign components and parts.
“We will update you and appropriately publish any findings from that when we’ve got them, but I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics, potentially some of their capabilities as well, not least because one world leader that is benefiting from the sky-high oil prices at the moment is Putin.
“It helps him with a fresh supply of funds for his brutal war in Ukraine.”
Mr Healey also refused to rule out defending the Strait of Hormuz after Iran vowed to keep blocking the vital shipping channel, which has seen the price of heating oil double in the past week and raised fears about energy prices.
He said: “The two things that I think are most significant are, first, that recognising the huge impact that this potentially has on oil prices and on people’s cost of living around the world. There is an international imperative and incentive to try and see this resolved. Big steps like the record release of reserve oil helps, but doesn’t solve the problem.
“The second is a realism that in a in circumstances of conflict, demining any waters is extremely difficult and therefore, in addition to the additional options that, of course, as defence secretary, I’m discussing with our planners, in part, reflecting the fact that I’ve already got some demining autonomous systems in place in the region since before the conflict.”
Britain has no available warships in or near the region at present, although HMS Dragon set sail this week for Cyprus, where it will protect UK airbases.
Two tankers in the Gulf were set ablaze overnight by hits from suspected Iranian boats carrying explosives, while a container ship was struck by an unknown projectile near the UAE.
