(Web Desk) - Iran’s military warned of a “heavy assault” against US assets in the Middle East if Iranian vessels face “aggression.”
The warning comes as the United States maintains a blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz in response to Tehran’s assertion of control in the waterway. On Friday, a US fighter jet disabled two Iran-flagged tankers that were said to be attempting to avert the blockade.
The naval command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that “any aggression” targeting Iran’s oil tankers and commercial vessels would result in a “heavy assault against one of the American centers in the region.”
The IRGC Aerospace Force command cautioned that “missiles and drones are locked onto the enemy.”
“We are awaiting the order to fire,” the aerospace force said.
Earlier, Britain said on Saturday it was deploying its warship HMS Dragon to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.
HMS Dragon, an air defence destroyer, was sent to the Eastern Mediterranean in March, shortly after the start of the Iran war, to help defend Cyprus.
Its relocation to the Middle East follows a move by France to deploy its carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea, as the two countries work together on a defensive plan aimed at restoring confidence in the trade route.
"The pre-positioning of HMS Dragon is part of prudent planning that will ensure that the UK is ready, as part of a multinational coalition jointly led by the UK and France, to secure the Strait, when conditions allow," a spokesperson for Britain's Ministry of Defence said.
As the US and Iran inch toward a potential off-ramp from their 10-week war, France and Britain have been working on a proposal to lay the groundwork for safe transit through the Strait once the situation stabilises.
The plan would need coordination with Iran and a dozen countries have indicated a willingness to take part.
Britain's ability to participate in any protective mission will be limited by the stretched Royal Navy, which is much smaller now than in the past and which has had to retire some ships before replacements have become available.