The US president appealed to the UK and other nations including France, China and Japan to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to protect oil tankers from Iranian attacks. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) would not reveal whether it would send ships to heed the US president’s call. (PA Graphics)Some 3,000 ships usually sail through the Strait of Hormuz each month, it is estimated. The Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Prime Minister must “rule out deploying British ships just because Trump tells him to”. Sir Ed added: “Last week, Trump said he didn’t need Britain’s help because he’d already won this war.

Source: The Times March 14, 2026 21:15 UTC