Britain readies aircraft carrier for Middle East: Live updates

The UK is preparing aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales for a possible deployment to the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between the US and Israel and Iran.

The ‘readiness time’ for the ship is being reduced from ten to five days notice, Sky News reports.

Crews are said to have been alerted about a potential deployment to the region.

The move does not guarantee that the ship will be deployed.

HMS Prince of Wales, which carries F-35 warplanes and helicopters, as well as anti-submarine warfare, is currently based in Portsmouth.

So far today:

• Israel and the US launched fresh strikes overnight and through the day on Iran and Lebanon, including targeting the cities of Tehran and Isfahan;
• Iran launched more attacks across the Gulf region, including against Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar;
• Dubai Airport temporarily evacuated and shut down following an Iranian drone strike;
• The Iranian President apologised for striking neighbouring countries;
• US President Donald Trump said Iran ‘will be hit hard today’ amid speculation of an impending escalation;
• Three more US bomber jets arrived at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK;
• The UK puts aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on alert ahead of a possible deployment to the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran will be ‘hit very hard’ by US-Israeli attacks today as he claimed the country is being ‘beat to hell’.

Hitting out at comments by the Iranian President, who claimed that attacks on Gulf neighbours would stop (only for the IRGC to contradict him hours later) Trump said the statement was only made due to ‘relentless’ attacks.

In a post on Truth Social he said: ‘Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore.

‘This promise was only made because of the relentless U.S. and Israeli attack. They were looking to take over and rule the Middle East. It is the first time that Iran has ever lost, in thousands of years, to surrounding Middle Eastern Countries.’

He added:

Today Iran will be hit very hard!

Under serious consideration for complete destruction and certain death, because of Iran’s bad behavior, are areas and groups of people that were not considered for targeting up until this moment in time.

Gulf countries are reporting fresh waves of attacks by Iran, with the UAE saying its air defences are ‘currently responding’ to ‘missile and drone threats’.

It said that any explosions heard by residents are ‘the result of the Air Defence Systems intercepting missiles and drones’.

In the last few minutes, journalists in Manama, Bahrain, have also reported hearing loud explosions.

More now from President Trump’s comments at the beginning of his Florida press conference a little while ago.

He is meeting with the leaders of other Americas nations, but dedicated his opening remarks to the conflict in Iran.

We’re doing very well in Iran, you see the result.

It’s been amazing, we’ve knocked out 42 navy ships, some of them very large in three days. That was the end of the navy.

We’ve knocked out their Air Force, we’ve knocked out their communications, all their telecommunications is gone.

I don’t know how they’ll communicate, but I guess they will figure something out. It’s not working out too well.

And they’re bad people, they’re just bad people.

The US has destroyed 42 Iranian ships in three days, US President Donald Trump has claimed.

Speaking at a press conference in Florida on Saturday, he said America is doing a ‘amazing’.

He added that the US has destroyed the vessels with strikes, as well as knocking out much of Iran’s air power and telecoms systems.

After the conference, he is due to meet with the families of the six US military personnel who have so far died in the conflict.

Trump said the US will keep the number of personnel killed ‘to a minimum’ amid the conflict with Iran.

We’re going to keep it to a minimum, I think it’s a service that we’re really providing, not for the Middle East, but for the world.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the US is now using UK bases to launch ‘specific defensive operations’ aimed at preventing ‘Iran firing missiles into the region’.

In an update this afternoon, the MoD said British lives are currently at risk due to Iran’s strikes.

It added that British planes have continued air operations over Jordan, Qatar, Cyprus and the wider region.

A Merlin helicopter is also enroute to offer additional support.

Israel has destroyed 16 Iranian aircraft in a wave of strikes at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, its military has said.

The IDF released a statement saying 16 Quds Force planes, which are tasked with carrying out operations beyond Iran’s borders, as well as several fighter jets were struck.

It comes after images appeared to show large explosions and smoke rising at the airport overnight.

The IDF said: ‘The IAF (Israeli Air Force) conducted a wave of precise strikes in Tehran, targeting military infrastructure at Mehrabad Airport, a central hub used by the IRGC to arm and fund its terror proxies across the Middle East.

‘Several Iranian fighter jets were also struck. Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians.’

Sitting at the end of the runway of Missouri’s Whiteman Airforce base, the two pilots on board Spirit of Nebraska, a B-2 Spirit bomber, completed their final checks. Three other aircraft from the US’s 509th Bomb Wing were lined up behind them, ready to launch.

At 3.38pm ET (8.38pm GMT) on February 27, President Donald Trump, onboard Air Force One, had greenlit their ‘no aborts’ mission to pummel Iran.

Two hours into the marathon 37-hour roundtrip mission, the stealth bombers – estimated to cost $2.1billion (£1.6billion) each – passed over the eastern seaboard. With a maximum range of 6,000 nautical miles, the jets did not have enough fuel to reach Iran.

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The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre has reported an ‘incident’ near the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran claimed to have attacked an oil tanker in the area bearing the flag of the Marshall Islands.

The UKMTO said the ‘incident’ had been reported by a third-party and labelled it an ‘attack’.

Issuing a warning, the agency advised vessels to travel ‘with caution’ and to ‘report any suspicious activity to UKMTO’.

The number of people killed in Lebanon since the beginning of the Middle East conflict is approaching 300, the country’s Health Ministry has said.

In a statement, it said 294 people have died and 1,023 have been injured.

It comes after the country said that 41 people were killed in an Israeli operation overnight in the town of Nabi Chit (pictured).

Lebanon was dragged into the conflict after armed militia Hezbollah joined Iran in striking Israel.