National Security Council considers plan for Israel strike on Iran

Sonntag, 27. Mai 2012

National Security Council considers plan for Israel strike on Iran

Ministers have considered contingency plans for how Britain would respond to a crisis in the Gulf triggered by any Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Whitehall sources confirmed that ministers discussed the range of contingencies when the National Security Council gathered for a routine meeting last Wednesday. However, a source said this was not prompted by any expectation of an imminent Israeli strike on Iran

The National Security Council has discussed a range of possibilities, including how Iran might retaliate by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz.

This vital waterway at the entrance to the Gulf is only 21 miles wide at his narrowest point and serves as the conduit for about 35 per cent of the world's seaborne oil shipments.

The Royal Navy retains a permanent presence in the Gulf, currently led by HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer and one of the most advanced warships in the world.

The meeting focused on the possibility of a "third party" taking action – which means Israel rather than Britain or America.

But neither London nor the United States has ruled out launching military action against Iran's nuclear facilities if diplomacy and economic pressure fail to resolve the confrontation.

Britain has treaty obligations to defend almost all of the Arab states in the Gulf. "Our hands are pretty much tied if any of the states invokes the agreements saying they need our aid then we will have to turn up," said a Whitehall source.

Since the Libyan campaign last year, the RAF is understood to have updated its plans for joining a possible US-led attack on Iran. Tornado GR4 bombers would lead any assault by flying direct from RAF Marham in East Anglia to the Gulf region to fire their Stormshadow cruise missile at a range of up to 350 miles from any targets in Iran. They would then land at a Gulf state where they would be based for future missions.

Eurofighter Typhoons, whose ground attack technology is less advanced, could be used to provide air defence.

Sentinel reconnaissance aircraft of the RAF are already based in one Gulf state. They could provide "real time" surveillance and eavesdropping on Iranian targets.

A Royal Navy attack submarine has also deployed to the Indian Ocean with an arsenal of Tomahawk cruise missiles that could hit targets 400 miles away.

But any British contribution would be a fraction of the firepower that the US has discreetly amassed in the region over the last year. Six F22 Raptors, the world's most advanced fighters, have been deployed to the Gulf, joining a squadron of up to 18 F15E Strike Eagles, designed for long range bombing raids.

B1 Lancer bombers and an array of surveillance and drone aircraft are already based in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Meanwhile, two American carriers are in the region: USS Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln, which deploy a total of 80 F18 Super Hornets capable of striking more than 200 targets in a single day.

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Sonntag, 27. Mai 2012