A British Royal Navy submarine equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles has reportedly been deployed to the Arabian Sea as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East enters its third week.
According to military sources cited by the Daily Mail, the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Anson departed from Perth earlier this month and traveled approximately 5,500 miles to reach the region.
The submarine is equipped with Tomahawk Block IV missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, and is capable of launching missiles with a range of up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
HMS Anson is the fifth vessel in the Royal Navy’s Astute-class submarines, joining HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful, and Audacious, as per the the UK Ministry of Defence.
The Astute class is considered the largest, most advanced, and most powerful attack submarine class in the Royal Navy.
The submarine’s presence in the region puts it in a position where it could strike targets in Iran if the situation escalates further. However, the British Ministry of Defence has not made any official statement regarding the deployment.
The deployment of the submarine comes amid Iran’s ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but vital shipping route whose closure is disrupting global energy and oil supplies.
In response to Iran’s actions, 22 countries, including the UK, have jointly condemned the attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf and the obstruction of the Strait of Hormuz.
HMS Anson had reached Australia last month as part of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
According to a Daily Mail report, the submarine departed from Perth earlier this month and traveled approximately 5,500 miles to reach the Arabian Sea region.
The report also suggested that the submarine periodically surfaces to establish communication with the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, London, where any launch order would be approved by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and transmitted through the Chief of Joint Operations.
The deployment follows the British government’s decision to allow the United States to use UK bases for potential strikes on Iranian targets posing a threat to the Strait of Hormuz.
