Analysis: Trump may want our help – but we don’t have any ships to send him

The UK is working on a “new generation” of anti-mine capabilities, but it’s in its very early stages, says military analyst Michael Clarke.

“It’s fairly small at the moment – the Royal Navy has only had it since last year and it needs a lot more of it, but it’s something that could be considered.

“The one thing we can’t do is deploy ships into the area because we don’t have any.”

HMS Dragon, stationed near Cyprus, could conceivably travel through the Suez Canal, but that is the only ship available, he says.

Donald Trump has called on the UK, France and others to send warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Clarke says the US president has assumed the same European allies he has insulted will come to his aid, despite dragging the world into a war that is spinning out of control with “no planning, no preparation”.

“I can imagine that all around the defence ministries around Europe, I think the reactions to this were probably un-broadcastable.”