The Royal Navy’s crucial work in the Persian Gulf

It is frustrating that much of the excellent work our armed forces undertakes around the globe goes unreported. This is very much the case in the Persian Gulf, where Royal Navy minesweepers have for years patrolled the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route which links Saudi Arabia to the wider world.

The importance of keeping the Straits open has recently been underlined, by the deployment of US minesweepers alongside British ones:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/world/middleeast/us-adds-forces-in-persian-gulf-a-signal-to-iran.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120703