Trump gets his way as UK gets more entangled with Iran war

Defence secretary John Healey has announced a major increase in troops and anti-aircraft weaponry to Saudi Arabia. The deployment entangles the UK even more deeply into the Donald Trump/US and Israel-led war. And it presents new targets for Iran.

Trump’s war

The US under Trump and Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

The main achievement of the war so far has been to cause a global energy crisis after Iran predictably closed the straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel.

Healey was visiting Saudi Arabia on 31 March when the announcement was made:

The deployment follows a successful recce by a UK team, and the equipment and teams will deploy this week including radars, control node, and missile launchers and a Royal Artillery battery and battle space managers to operate the system. The system will be integrated into wider Saudi and regional air defences.

The new uplift includes the Sky Sabre air defence system. The press release also confirmed that:

Rapid Sentry – a ground-based air defence missile system – has arrived in Kuwait and the RAF’s ORCUS system is operating in the country, allowing personnel to detect drones early and take action.

Adding:

The system will be integrated into wider Saudi and regional air defences.

The UK’s multirole missile launcher is already in Bahrain.

UK pushes same dubious denials

Healey said:

Iran’s aggressive attacks continue to threaten our allies and interests in the Middle East. That’s why the UK has been flying defensive missions since day one of this conflict to protect British interests and allies – and today we’re delivering further support by extending our UK jets in Qatar and deploying extra air defence teams and systems to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

I am proud of the courage and professionalism our Armed Forces have shown since the start of the war and my message to Gulf partners is: Britain’s best will help you defend your skies. I pay tribute to the heroic efforts of our partners across the Gulf in protecting their nations. We will stand by our long-term partners in the Middle East and continue to push for a swift resolution to this conflict.

The press release repeated the same inaccurate government talking point about the degree of UK involvement which has been pushed since the war began:

The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will not be drawn into the wider war.

Contrary to Keir Starmer’s claims that the UK role is only defensive, the government has allowed US bombers to use its airbases at home and on the colonised Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia. The UK, whatever the government claims, is becoming more deeply entangled in this runaway war.

And regardless of what Keir Starmer and John Healey say, Iran will view new British military assets in the Gulf the same way that it views current ones: as legitimate targets in an existential war for survival.

Featured image via the Canary