British warships, helicopters and several hundred military personnel have been put on standby of 24 hours or less for deployment in or near Iraq, ready to respond as the Iran crisis escalates.
Tensions in the aftermath of the US assassination of Gen Qassem Suleimani led to Iran firing a salvo of missiles on Tuesday night at Al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province, which hosts a US contingent, hitting it at least six times.
The backup forces – including a handful of twin-engine Chinook helicopters – could be used to evacuate British troops if the security situation in Iraq worsens further.
The disclosure of the numbers involved is also designed to put Tehran on notice, with the additional details emerging shortly after Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, told MPs that the UK would respond if Britons were killed by Iran or any of its proxies.
“If British civilians were killed or even military personnel as a result of Iranian or terrorist action, we would look at the response. The response would no doubt be proportionate,” said Wallace, as parliament returned from the Christmas break.
Britain has 400 troops in Iraq at present, currently focused on protecting themselves in the aftermath of the controversial killing by an American drone strike that has prompted
speculation that Tehran will seek to hit back at western interests .
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