HMS Royal joining ‘freedom of navigation’ mission in Strait of Hormuz to unlock commercial shipping

A British Royal Navy destroyer is headed to the Middle East where a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is underway – as part of a multi-country mission that could finally unlock commercial shipping in the critical waterway.

The HMS Dragon is joining a “freedom of navigation” mission in a move that signals an important international shift toward ending Iran’s stronghold of the strait. President Trump has long demanded other US allies, including those dependent on Persian Gulf oil, share the burden of getting commercial traffic through the strait.

Iran effectively closed the vital waterway during the war, and the US in response imposed a blockade that remains in place.

Britain’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday that the Dragon is being deployed from the eastern Mediterranean, where it had been guarding UK military bases from Iranian drone strikes, the Times of London reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted about a multilateral mission between France and the UK on Friday that “can help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers” and was “distinct from the parties to the conflict.”

He called for all sides to end the blockades of the strait “immediately and without conditions.”

Trump, back in March, told reporters: “I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory because it is their territory. It’s the place from which they get their energy.”