02:42 26-05-2026

UK Navy Prepares Hormuz Mine-Clearing Mission

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cassandra Thompson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Associated Press reports the UK Navy is preparing ships and sailors for a possible Strait of Hormuz mine-clearing mission with allied support.

According to the Associated Press, Royal Navy vessels and hundreds of British sailors are preparing to head toward the Strait of Hormuz for a possible mine-clearing operation.

The agency reported that the RFA Lyme Bay landing ship is currently near Gibraltar. The vessel is being prepared for a mission aimed at securing navigation in the region. Ammunition and unmanned maritime systems fitted with sonar equipment for mine detection are being loaded on board.

In an interview with AP, UK Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said the operation could be carried out under the joint leadership of London and Paris. However, he noted that such a mission would be possible only after an agreement is reached to halt hostilities in the Middle East.

According to Carns, once preparations are complete, the RFA Lyme Bay is expected to join the destroyer HMS Dragon and other allied vessels. The group would then pass through the Suez Canal and head toward the Persian Gulf.

Royal Navy mine-warfare commander Gemma Britton said Iran could use different types of sea mines, including bottom, cable and rocket-propelled mines capable of reacting to sound, movement or light.

At the same time, a US official told the Associated Press that no mines have so far been detected in the Strait of Hormuz and no damage to vessels has been recorded.