Sir Keir Starmer may send thousands of drone interceptors to the Middle East to counter Iranian weapons that have become an obstacle to the US-Israeli military campaign in the Iran war, which according to British military sources will counter the "axis of aggression" between Russia and Iran.
Anti-drone systems codenamed "Octopus" are currently being manufactured in Britain for shipment to Ukraine, against Russian drones purchased from Iran.
The production process for these systems has been accelerated and it is thought that thousands of them are being produced each month, and British military officials are considering the possibility of using them to defend Britain from Iranian Shahed drones.
The British government is also considering the possibility of sending a ship to the Gulf, but no decision has yet been made.
The Octopus anti-drone interceptor system was designed by Ukrainian engineers and manufactured in Britain, and costs £2,260. The partnership between Ukraine and Britain was announced in January by British Defense Secretary John Healy.
The Ukrainians are the best at stopping Iranian drones that were given to the Russians by Iran in the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, another option being considered by British experts, according to The Sunday Times of London, is the use of autonomous naval mine-hunting drones used by the British Royal Navy's Expeditionary Group, which is currently in the Persian Gulf area.
The way these mine-tracking drones work is by replicating the image of a ship's presence, activating the safe detonation of naval mines.
Britain currently has four drone systems in operation or under development: Wilson, Sweep, Seacat and MMCM. President Trump has called for allies to help unblock the vital sea passage for transporting oil from the Gulf to the rest of the world.
The alleged British aid comes after the US president said he hoped allies like Britain would help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, when days earlier he had declared that the British aircraft carrier was not needed in military operations and accused British Prime Minister Starmer of joining the war when the Americans had meanwhile won it, but not yet, unblocking the crucial sea passage held hostage by Iran in this war.
