- Britain is considering deploying minehunting drones to the Strait of Hormuz to help reopen the crucial oil shipping route, which Iran has blocked.
- Energy Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed the UK is "intensively" looking at options with allies, including autonomous mine-hunting equipment, to secure the passage.
- This consideration follows a call from Donald Trump for allied nations, including the UK, to send warships to protect tankers in the region.
- Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to maintain the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the US.
- The blockade, through which a fifth of the world's oil passes, has led to a significant increase in global energy prices and disrupted trade.
IN FULL
