LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) – Britain said it was working to provide more support for its partners in the Gulf who are under attack from Iran, as it announced plans to buy extra missiles to protect the region.
Britain’s fighter jets and other forces have been helping shoot down Iranian drones, and one of its warships is heading to the eastern Mediterranean, although the government has been criticised for not being able to send it sooner.
The British RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian-made drone on March 1, but HMS Dragon did not depart until March 10, leading to scrutiny of Britain’s military readiness.
Britain, which also has a military presence in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere, said it would order further Lightweight Multirole Missiles from Thales UK in Belfast to supply its forces as well as partners in the region, and said it would also provide them with training in the UK.
“Lightweight Multirole Missiles have already proven highly capable for air defence in the Middle East,” a statement from the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
Ambassadors and defence attachés from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Iraq and Jordan attended a meeting with Britain’s Minister for Defence Readiness Luke Pollard, the statement said.
They discussed how to provide new defence equipment and technology at pace with representatives from suppliers, such as BAE Systems, MBDA and Leonardo UK to counter Iranian attacks.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James)
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