Royal Navy left 'embarrassed' and 'furious' over No10's handling of Middle East chaos

The US, in the two weeks before their initial joint offensive with Israel against Iran on February 28, asked the British Government if they would allow them to use UK bases or join the war.

"The UK took a long time to respond and then the indication was we aren’t going to do anything," a source told The Times.

When Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launched their first strikes in the region two weeks ago, it was the first time in half a century that Britain had no ships in the region.

The nuclear-powered submarine HMS Anson had been directed to Australia, while HMS Lancaster, which had been permanently based at the HMS Juffair base in Bahrain, had been decommissioned in December. HMS Middleton was the last ship stationed in the Middle East, but was towed back and arrived in Southampton on March 1.

According to the source, the longstanding contingency plan for the conflict in the Middle East had been to send one Type-45 destroyer (the UK has six of which: HMS Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender, and Duncan) to the region.

This recommendation was not given to the armed forces chief, Sir Richard Knighton, until two days after a drone hit RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. On Tuesday, March 10, HMS Dragon left port in Portsmouth. It is yet to arrive.

The source told The Times: "The navy spent 50 years in the Gulf ready to carry out transits and offer protection in the Strait of Hormuz, but a few weeks before this kicked off, pulled out.

"Bahrain gave us Juffair because they expected us to be there. It is beyond embarrassing."

The "Government failed on every level," the source added. "The navy has been outmanoeuvred over a period of time."

Sir Richard himself has been criticised, with another source stating: "He should have been saying a month earlier that the US armada is building up, what are the options?"

Despite this, Defence Secretary John Healey has declared "total confidence" in the army chief, who is doing an "extraordinary job".

By the time HMS Dragon set sail earlier in the week, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier had already reached the region, along with the French President.

"Our objective is to maintain a strictly defensive stance, standing alongside all countries attacked by Iran in its retaliation, to ensure our credibility, and to contribute to regional de-escalation. Ultimately, we aim to guarantee freedom of navigation and maritime security," Emmanuel Macron stated in Paphos.

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, leading the navy, is said to be "not impressed by the outcome," and that delays to the defence investment plans had "paralysed the department".

"You can’t get anything done," it has been said.

An MoD spokeswoman said: "We acted early to protect British people and British interests and to support our allies.

"Since January, we have deployed significant military assets into the region, including Typhoons, F-35 jets, air defence systems and an extra 400 personnel into Cyprus. Those preparations made a real difference, enabling our troops to conduct defensive operations from day one.

"Our top military commanders are in constant communication. Following Iran’s reckless response, we assessed our military posture, and when the option of a destroyer was put forward on Tuesday, it was quickly agreed by the chief of the defence staff and the defence secretary the same day.

"The chief of defence staff is hugely respected across defence and government and, along with our military personnel across the world, is working tirelessly to keep the country safe."

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