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| Britain Draws Up Battle Plans For War With Iran |
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| Date: 26-Feb-2012 |
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| Plans ... Army, subs and jets ready |
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BRITAIN is drawing up plans to send hundreds of troops and an extra nuclear sub to the Gulf as tension mounts with Iran. Defence chiefs are convinced the UK will be swiftly sucked into any new conflict with Tehran's fanatical regime.
They say it is a matter of WHEN not IF war breaks out - with 18 to 24 months the likely timescale.
The Army, Royal Navy and RAF will have crucial roles if hostilities are triggered by president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nuclear stand-off with the world.
The UK will first fly an INFANTRY battalion to the United Arab Emirates, our strong ally in the region, The Sun can reveal.
The move would be a public show of support, demonstrating that Britain is ready to defend the UAE it it comes under attack from Iran. The UAE is separated from Iran by just 34 miles of sea across the Strait of Hormuz.
Further troops could follow if our other allies Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar ask for help.
The Royal Navy has already quietly gathered seven WARSHIPS in the Gulf. HMS Daring — one of its newest and most powerful destroyers — arrived in the region last month to join Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll.
Minesweepers Pembroke, Quora, Middleton and Ramsey are based in Bahrain and a nuclear submarine is lurking in the area.
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| Iran president ... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
Under the war plan, a second sub armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles would be deployed.
The RAF would send Typhoon and Tornado JETS to reinforce helicopter and transport plane crews already stationed in Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE. A senior Whitehall official said: "MoD planners went into overdrive at the start of the year. Conflict is seen as inevitable as long as the regime pursue their nuclear ambitions.
"Britain would be sucked in whether we like it or not, probably via Iranian attacks on our forces in Afghanistan next door to them."
The senior source added: "We also have some very important allies in the region and we stand ready to help them with troops."
Tensions were ratcheted up by the announcement of US and EU sanctions on Tehran's oil to take effect in July. It will lead to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz — cutting off much of the world's oil.
Air strikes by Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities are seen as the most likely trigger for conflict.
Former First Sea Lord and Security Minister Lord West said: "A plan for Iran and the protection of the Strait of Hormuz has been around for quite a long time.
"It's quite right they should be dusting it off and looking at every aspect of what should be done."
Foreign Secretary William Hague has told MPs that a military option must not be taken off the table.
A MoD spokesman said: "We conduct contingency planning for numerous possible scenarios around the world. We want a negotiated solution, not a military one."
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| Source: thesun.co.uk |
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