“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 defence ministry spokesperson told AFP. A handout picture released by the Marine Nationale (French Navy) shows the French Navy's Carrier Strike Group on 6 May 2026 (Handout/Marine Nationale/AFP) The United Kingdom will send a destroyer to the Middle East ahead of an international mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the defence ministry announced on Saturday. “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 defence ministry spokesperson told AFP. A handout picture released by the Marine Nationale (French Navy) shows the French Navy's Carrier Strike Group on 6 May 2026 (Handout/Marine Nationale/AFP) The United Kingdom will send a destroyer to the Middle East ahead of an international mission to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the defence ministry announced on Saturday. “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 defence ministry spokesperson told AFP.