UK Deploys Nuclear Submarine HMS Anson In Arabian Sea Near Strait Of Hormuz

A British nuclear-powered submarine armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has reportedly taken up position in the Arabian Sea, on Saturday (21 March). The deployment gives the UK the ability to carry out long-range strikes if tensions in the Gulf escalate. HMS Anson, equipped with Tomahawk Block IV missiles and Spearfish torpedoes, left Perth, Australia, earlier this month and reportedly travelled roughly 5,500 miles to its current location. The submarine reportedly surfaces at intervals to communicate with the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, where any launch order would need to be authorised by the Prime Minister and transmitted via the Chief of Joint Operations. The deployment comes amid rising tensions in the Gulf region, where threats to the Strait of Hormuz – a vital shipping route through which around a fifth of the world’s oil passes – have raised fears of conflict.