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<\/a><\/p>\nA third British warship is heading to the Gulf to join the mission to protect shipping amid heightened tensions in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n Portsmouth-based HMS Defender, a\u00a0Type 45 destroyer, is being redirected from its mission to the Pacific.<\/span><\/p>\n Britain has already sent HMS Kent to cover for frigate HMS Montrose while it undergoes maintenance in nearby Bahrain.<\/span><\/p>\n ‘Wherever the red ensign flies around the world, the UK stands by to protect freedom of navigation whenever is it tested,’ said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.<\/span><\/p>\n The Government confirmed earlier this month that the Royal Navy has been tasked to accompany British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as part of the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC).<\/span><\/p>\n This deployment will ensure that the UK has the flexibility to continually commit a vessel to the international mission, said the Navy in a statement today.<\/span><\/p>\n Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: ‘The men and women of HMS Defender will contribute to the IMSC alongside international partners.’<\/span><\/p>\n Britain outraged Iran by seizing one of its tankers – the Grace 1 – on July 4 on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.<\/span><\/p>\n The HMS Montrose then warned off three Iranian gunboats that UK officials said were trying to ‘impede’ the progress of a British supertanker through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf on July 11.<\/span><\/p>\n Iranian Revolutionary Guards stormed and detained the UK-flagged Stena Impero and its 23 crew as they sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 20.<\/span><\/p>\n The British government subsequently raised the alert level for ships travelling through Iranian waters to three on a three-point scale, indicating a ‘critical’ threat.<\/span><\/p>\n Tensions have been escalating in the region, with US President Donald Trump in June calling off at the last minute an air strike on Iran over its downing of a US spy drone.<\/span><\/p>\n The HMS Defender sailed from Portsmouth on August 12, alongside HMS Kent, which was also heading to the Gulf to replace the HMS Duncan.<\/span><\/p>\n