Iran warship
The British government has sent two warships to the Persian Gulf (Picture: Getty)

Britian has sent two warships to the Persian Gulf in a bid to protect citizens in the wake of Donald Trump’s decision to kill Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, confirmed that the government had ordered the vessels on Saturday night ‘to take all necessary steps to protect our ships and citizens at this time’.

In a statement, Mr Wallace also said President Trump acted lawfully in his decision to launch a US airstrike at Baghdad Airport killing Soleimani.

He said the HMS Montrose and HMS Defender have been sent back to resume maritime patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

They will accompany British-flagged ships to ensure they make it safely through the Strait, which is a particularly vulnerable area as 30 per cent of the world’s oil passes through it from the Gulf to the oceans.

Mr Wallace said on Saturday night: ‘Yesterday I spoke to my US counterpart Secretary Esper and we urge all parties to engage to de-escalate the situation. During the last few months US forces in Iraq, who are based in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government, have been repeatedly attacked by Iranian backed militia.

Mourners gather during the funeral procession of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and eight others in the Iraqi central city of Karbala on January 4, 2020. - Thousands of Iraqis chanting "Death to America" today as they mourned an Iranian commander and others killed in a US drone attack that sparked fears of a regional proxy war between Washington and Tehran. (Photo by Mohammed SAWAF / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP via Getty Images)
Mourners gather during the funeral procession of slain Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani (Picture: AFP)
An October 2005 handout photo released in London on July 11, 2019, shows the British Royal Navy's HMS Montrose, a Type 23 Frigate, performing turns during excercise "Marstrike 05", off the coast of Oman. - Britain said on July 11, 2019, that Iranian military vessels tried to "impede the passage" of UK oil tanker "British Heritage", but were warned off by British warship HMS Montose in a dramatic escalation of tensions with Tehran in the Gulf. The incident in the narrow but busy Strait of Hormuz occurred on Wednesday after President Donald Trump ratched up his own administration's pressure even further by warning that sanctions against the Islamic Republic would be "increased substantially" soon. (Photo by HO / MOD / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / CROWN COPYRIGHT 2019 " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVE - TO BE USED WITHIN 2 DAYS FROM JULY 11, 2019 (48 HOURS), EXCEPT FOR MAGAZINES WHICH CAN PRINT THE PICTURE WHEN FIRST REPORTING ON THE EVENT / HO/AFP/Getty Images
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed the British government has sent two warships to the Middle East (Picture: Getty)

‘General Soleimani has been at the heart of the use of proxies to undermine neighbouring sovereign nations and target Iran’s enemies. Under international law the United States is entitled to defend itself against those posing an imminent threat to their citizens.

‘I have instructed preparation for HMS Montrose and HMS Defender to return to accompanying duties of Red Ensign Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The Government will take all necessary steps to protect our ship and citizens at this time.’

It is feared Iran may retaliate to the killing of Soleimani by attacking US military and business interests in the Middle East and oil tankers passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Last year, two British-flagged tankers – one carrying oil and the other transporting a cargo of chemicals – were seized by Iran in the 21-mile-wide channel.

It caused a temporary surge in oil prices and if Iran chooses to close the Strait, it will cause huge devastation to the world economy, as it is described as ‘the world’s most important choke point’, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Tensions have been rising between Iran and the US after President Trump ‘terminated’ Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Soleimani in a bid to end his target’s ‘sick passion’ for death.

TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 03: Protesters demonstrate after the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani on January 3, 2020 in Tehran, Iran. Iran has vowed 'harsh retaliation' for the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad's airport that killed Tehran's top general as tensions soared in the wake of the targeted killing. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Protesters demonstrate after the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Soleimani (Picture: Getty)
TEHRAN, IRAN - (ARCHIVE): A file photo dated September 18, 2016 shows Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani during Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's meeting with Revolutionary Guards, in Tehran, Iran. The U.S. confirmed Thursday that it carried out a strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The strike near Baghdad International Airport killed Soleimani, one of the most powerful commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, vice president of the Hashd al-Shaabi group, or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), local media reported. (Photo by Pool / Iranian Supreme Leader Press Office /Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Soleimani was killed during a US airstrike (Picture: Getty)

Mr Trump claimed the country’s second in command was plotting ‘imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel’ and ordered his killing ‘to stop a war’.

Soleimani is also blamed for attacks on US troops and American allies going back to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The Quds Force – a unit of the IRGC – has military proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Yemen and experts say combined they are responsible for successful and attempted terrorist acts across the region.

But Soleimani was also the face of armed resistance against Islamic State, which was only defeated last year.

The airstrike at Baghdad’s main airport has caused tensions in the volatile region to soar and there are fears of all-out war.

epa07587139 A handout photo made available by the British Royal Navy showing the Royal Navy warship HMS Defender off the coast of Scotland, 19 May 2019, issued 20 May 2019. The Royal Navy reported that the Type 45 destroyer tested her Sea Viper missile system, the missile flew four times the speed of sound before obliterating an incoming drone target designed to simulate a projectile attack on the ship. It marks the first time HMS Defender has taken on this particular type of target ??? one that is significantly more challenging as it flies faster and lower than others before it. The missile firing took place as part of NATO Exercise Formidable Shield. It proves the Portsmouth-based ship???s ability to defend herself and other ships around her from attack. Equipped with a Wildcat helicopter from Yeovilton-based 815 Naval Air Squadron, state-of-the-art Sampson radar and the Sea Viper missile system, HMS Defender was a potent addition alongside nine other navies at the Hebrides range in Scotland. Led by the US Navy???s 6th Fleet, the exercise was the largest of its type with 13 ships, more than 10 aircraft and in excess of 3,300 personnel taking part. EPA/LPhot Ben Shread / BRITISH ROYAL NAVY / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: CROWN COPYRIGHT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
HMS Defender has been sent to the Persian Gulf (Picture: EPA)
Palestinians burn US and Israeli flags as they attend a mourning tent held by Palestinian factions for Qassem Soleimani, the Iran's head of the Quds Force, who was killed in a US drone strike early Friday, in Gaza City, Saturday, Jan 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Palestinians burn US and Israeli flags as they attend a mourning tent held by Palestinian factions for Qassem Soleimani, the Iran’s head of the Quds Force (Picture: AP)

Today as the funerals took place, billboards appeared on major streets in Iran showing Soleimani and carrying a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that ‘harsh revenge’ awaits the US.

Last night, Trump dispatched another 3,000 troops to Kuwait to bolster the US military presence in the Middle East. It has ordered all its citizens to leave Iraq and closed its embassy in Baghdad.

The governments in Britain and France have ordered their citizens to avoid travel to Iraq and Iran while experts said tourists should evacuate the United Arab Emirates.

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