Royal Navy prepares deployment to secure key oil shipping route, though US officials say no mines have yet been detected in the Strait of Hormuz

A British Royal Navy destroyer is headed to the Middle East where a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is underway – as part of a multi-country mission that could finally unlock commercial shipping in the critical waterway.

The Royal Navy’s mission to intercept Iranian drone threats has stalled in port because the Portsmouth repair yard now operates on a “nine-to-five” schedule. The high-stakes mission to protect a British airbase from Iranian drone strikes remains on ...