The United Kingdom is considering sending thousands of interceptor drones to the Middle East as officials review ways to counter Iranian Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles, The Telegraph reported on Saturday.
According to the report, military officials are examining whether the sophisticated “Octopus" interceptor anti-drone systems, which are currently being manufactured in the UK for Ukraine to use against Russia, could also be used to strengthen British defenses against Iranian Shahed drones.
The move could be viewed as an attempt by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to counter criticism from US President Donald Trump and military figures over what they described as a weak response to the war with Iran.
On Saturday, Trump urged the UK to send ships to the Strait of Hormuz as part of a global naval presence intended to pressure Iran to reopen the critical oil shipping route. The British government is considering deploying a vessel to the Gulf but has not yet reached a final decision, according to The Telegraph.
A defense source told the newspaper that Britain was also weighing the possibility of deploying drone interceptors to confront what they described as the “axis of aggression" between Russia and Iran.
Recent attacks have highlighted the vulnerability of British installations in the region. Drone strikes targeted RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and British special forces in Erbil, Iraq, exposing the threat posed by inexpensive, mass-produced Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles. Healey has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “hidden hand" was behind the attacks.
Six US soldiers were also killed at a makeshift facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, after an Iranian drone evaded air defenses at the start of the war.
Following the attack on Akrotiri, Starmer ordered a warship to be sent to Cyprus. HMS Dragon is expected to reach the eastern Mediterranean as early as next week, after France also dispatched reinforcements.
Trump has criticized the British response to the conflict, warning earlier this month that he “will remember" what he described as a lack of support during the war.
A source close to the President told The Telegraph that Washington could no longer rely on Britain for military support.
“The British showed during the Iran conflict they can’t be depended upon, they don’t have the resources and they’re not really committed to any assets," the source said.
“There is no special relationship; that’s over. The entire war in Iran shows that the entire security guarantee will fall apart. The US is going to see France, and particularly England and see our special relationship can deliver nothing."