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Navy to patrol Gulf in the
spring
David Blair
London
Telegraph
Friday November 2, 2007
A Royal Navy aircraft carrier will be deployed in the Gulf next
spring, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Illustrious will sail for the highly sensitive waters near Iran
accompanied by Edinburgh, a Type 42 destroyer whose main role
is providing air defence, and Westminster, a Type 23 frigate.
Two minesweepers and three support vessels from the Royal Fleet
Auxiliary will complete the deployment for Operation Orion 08.
The ships will spend about six months in the Gulf, the Indian
Ocean and the Red Sea.
Their presence may coincide with a crucial period in the West's
confrontation with Iran.
(Article continues below)
Observers believe that the spring is the last possible moment
for President George W Bush to order military strikes against
Iran's nuclear programme. The imminence of America's presidential
election may make it impossible for Washington to carry out an
attack any later.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the deployment had been
"planned for a while" and that British carriers were
present in the Gulf last year and in 2005.
"The idea is to demonstrate our commitment to maritime security
in a strategically very important part of the world."
The warships will be handled by the Navy's permanent staff of
30 based in Bahrain's capital, Manama.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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