Britain’s Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine has been stationed in the Arabian Sea, giving Britain the ability to launch cruise missile attacks targeting Iran if the conflict in the Middle East escalates, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday (local time).
HMS Anson is located in the Arabian Sea
Citing military sources, the report noted that on March 6, HMS Anson, which is equipped with Tomahawk Block IV land-attack missiles and has a range of 1,000 miles, along with heavy-weight Spearfish torpedoes, left Perth harbor and is believed to be taking up positions in the northern Arabian Sea.
The Royal Navy submarine had traveled 5,500 miles off the west coast of Australia to await orders, the report said, adding that it was surfacing just below the surface every 24 hours, allowing it to maintain contact with a British military bunker at the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) in Northwood, London.
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The report, citing sources, said that at PJHQ, Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, chief of joint operations, would give the order to fire if Starmer authorized it. Once approved, HMS Anson would rise close to the surface and fire four missiles.
The state-of-the-art submarine, which is based in Faslane, Scotland, does not use a traditional periscope. Instead, it displays surface views on a large television screen.
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Its nuclear reactor eliminates the need for refueling over a 25-year lifetime. In addition, his systems can purify water and air, allowing him to travel around the world without having to resurface.
However, this endurance is limited by her food capacity, as the vessel can only carry a three-month supply for her crew of 98 officers and sailors.
Starmer allows US to use British bases to attack Iran
The development comes almost two days after Downing Street said on Friday that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had authorized the US to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a narrow and key waterway, responsible for transporting roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil. Days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the closure of a key waterway, halting oil exports from the region.
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Previously, Starmer had only allowed the US military to use British bases for defensive operations and to prevent Iran from launching missiles that would threaten British interests or lives. But he recently approved expanding the targets, a move likely to help protect ships in the canal on the basis of “collective self-defense.”
Iranian FM criticizes UK decision
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, criticized Starmer’s decision to allow the US military to use British bases to target Tehran. In a post on X, Iran’s foreign minister said the vast majority of Britain does not want to be involved in an Israeli-American war against Iran. However, Starmer chose to ignore his own people by allowing the US to use its bases to aggress against Iran. He added that the British Prime Minister is threatening the lives of the British people. Araghchi further said that Tehran will exercise its right to self-defense.
Tehran attacked a joint American-British base
The deployment of HMS Anson in the Arabian Sea comes two days after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at a joint US-UK base in Diego Garcia, a remote island in the Indian Ocean. After the missiles were fired, one was intercepted and another failed in mid-air and no damage was reported. But the incident brings to light the previously undisclosed range of Tehran’s missile capabilities.
