There has been much publicity recently on how the Royal Navy has been cut to the bone – to the extent that it is now scarcely if at all a credible force. Yet, despite that, Britain – under the tutelage of Prime Minister Tony Blair – is still determined to play its part in prosecuting the war on terror, alongside its mighty ally the United States.
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Today the The Times tells us the allies are beefing up their naval forces in the Gulf to "go after" Iran. Britain's contribution is the two 600-ton minehunters HMS Blyth (perhaps named after the infamous Captain of the Bounty) and HMS Ramsey (both pictured above), which will remain in the Gulf for an unusually-long two-year mission "to keep shipping routes open in the event that Iran attempts to block oil exports". Which actually is quite likely.
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Clearly British ''Gunboat deplomacy'' is not (yet) a policy of the past.
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