Iranian state media has falsely claimed that the Iranian Navy prevented a British warship from entering the Persian Gulf, alleging that it had been assisting Israel in targeting Iranian territory.
However, imagery released by Iran to support the claim clearly shows a vessel operated by the United Arab Emirates, not the United Kingdom.
The statement, carried by outlets including the Tehran Times, said that a British destroyer had entered the northern Indian Ocean and was detected by Iranian surveillance systems. It went on to claim that Iranian drones issued warnings, forcing the ship to change course.
However, analysis by UK Defence Journal confirms that the only visual evidence released shows a Gowind-class corvette, a design used by the UAE Navy. The vessel depicted is not operated by the Royal Navy, and there is no indication that any British warship was involved.
Defence sources familiar with Royal Navy operations confirmed to UK Defence Journal that there were no British destroyers operating in the relevant vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz or the Sea of Oman during the timeframe mentioned by Iranian authorities.
The incident appears to follow a broader pattern of Iranian media publishing exaggerated or misleading reports of military encounters with Western forces. In this case, the use of incorrect imagery further undermines the credibility of the claim.
The UK Carrier Strike Group, currently deployed under Operation Highmast, is operating well outside the area referenced by Iran. There has been no official British government response, likely due to the absence of any verifiable event involving a UK vessel.
Iran’s messaging suggests an effort to link unrelated regional naval activity to its broader narrative about foreign involvement in its security affairs.
I mean, why?
Why make a claim that is so easy to disprove?
RN only has one destroyer class and it is rather distinctive.
Home consumption. Same as Russian propaganda against Ukraine or Trump going on about South Africa while showing a video from the Congo or how big crowds are at his rallies’ The average Iranian hasn’t a clue what a British destroyer looks like – government says it’s British, as far as the Iranian public is concerned it’s British.
The average Brit has no idea either, as for Americans you’re lucky if they know an Aircraft Carrier from a Submarine just that John Wayne is in control.
I was on a cruise once. In the Med, saw an Italian carrier, American asked me what kind of ship it was. He said he’d spent a couple of years in the Navy at San Diego. He was being serious….
As a young teen I explored a caravan abandoned in the local woods.
Inside there was a small Union Jack on the wall with a printout of an Abrams tank under it..
What?? I thought it was Sean Connery
How many Iranians are aware of RN ORBAT or waarship recognition? Very few probably. So Iran probably succeeds in portraying a false narrative & can justify attacking UK assets in future & portray herself as under wider western attack. All encouraging dubious Iranians to support the regime for the national interests.
I see this as recognition of their inability to do anything to us for now.
As you say they’ve built up a false narrative which requires that they be seen, by their public, doing something to combat the threat. And if you can’t do that then faking it is the next best thing.
You’re not taking into account the gullibility of tens of millions of imbeciles who are susceptible to misinformation and propaganda, many of whom march through the cities of Europe each week protesting for causes that are at best idiotic and at worst downright evil. I’m sure the IRGC do. Look at the recent marches through London as an example. My personal favourite is the “alphabet people” for Palestine. The same crowd were probably out on the streets in support of Iran yesterday. I can’t make my mind up as to whether that is tragic or hilarious.
The enemy within. Brainwashed that way at school, or at University.
In my day, we were taught to support our nation, them so often now there is an anti western undercurrent.
They should go.and demonstrate in Palestine.
I agree with the sentiment, but would suggest it’s more to do with growing up online, rather than indoctrination at school/uni. Although education institutions do traditionally lean left, I studied politics at Uni, and it was apolitical using critical thinking, different critical theories, and history to approach modern IR – the modern ‘activists’ are just SU groups who all follow the same TikTokers. Very morally and critically corrosive in and of itself in that it creates ‘teams’ and zero-sum positions, as well as creating single issue voters who skew elections for a cause that would imprison them or worse were they part of the society they scream about supporting. Tragically ironic and damaging for us all.
Thanks Nate. You’ve had first hand, so that’s fair enough.
I can assure you that is much more education complx and media than online.
I hate to say this and I probably would have punched myself in the nose a couple of years back for saying it but maybe Britain needs a dose of Nigel Farage in number 10. I think he would sort out the Universities and the Micky Mouse degrees that indoctrinate rather than educate.
Also some countries are considering social media bans for under 16’s. The Aussies have already done so. That would help.
TO NATE: I don’t think critical thinking is encouraged in the Far Left humanities departments of Western Universities anymore; or schools for that matter. An example of what happens to a college prof teaching pupils to think for themselves is Warren Smith in the US. There is a video of the class on YT. He was fired for doing nothing but asking the students to ask questions and think for themselves. I’d post the link but it would take 6 months for it to clear. Search for Warren Smith fired.
I hate to say this and I probably would have punched myself in the nose a couple of years back for saying it but maybe Britain needs a dose of Nigel Farage in number 10. I think he would sort out the Universities and the Micky Mouse degrees that indoctrinate rather than educate.
Also some countries are considering social media bans for under 16’s. The Aussies have already done so. That would help.
TO NATE: I don’t think critical thinking is encouraged in the Far Left humanities departments of Western Universities anymore; or schools for that matter. An example of what happens to a college prof teaching pupils to think for themselves is Warren Smith in the US. There is a video of the class on YT. He was fired for doing nothing but asking the students to ask questions and think for themselves. I’d post the link but it would take 6 months for it to clear. Search for Warren Smith fired.
Do you know what Trump is doing, or trying to do to Universities indeed any institution where any semblance of critical or independent thought is being oppressed and eliminated. ‘Free speech’ was only ever yet another Trump/Musk smoke screen for oppression of anything but MAGA and oligarch orthodoxy. Is that your preference? Just read what Musk, Peter Theil and their autocratic Tech Bro friends have in store for we plebs. Ask yourself why the US regime has been working overtime in these phony trade negotiations to give cover and give them free rein to not only control America but as much of the free World as possible. Free thought is their biggest threat and extremists of any hue hate it once they have exploited it to gain ultimate power. The great danger presently is that extremists right and left have been greatly unified into a nationalistic cadre of hate to support the once comical front men like Trump.
If you care about the country, don’t vote for Farage. Him being elected would be the point of no return into stagnation and slow decline. The current government aren’t perfect, but they are the only ones genuinely working for the betterment of the country as they see it. While you might disagree with their views, that they have values and believe them is 100% better than having opportunistic nihilists and cynical frauds being in power, regardless of their empty promises of shiny tomorrows. Nigel Farage types – like Bojo and Trump – destroy everything they touch, because they don’t have any real values other than self enrinchment and aggrandizement. Real progress is always difficult and slow, in 3 years the country may be starting to look a lot better, if it does I’ll allow myself some hope.
“any semblance of critical or independent thought is being oppressed and eliminated.”
Impressive how you lie. The political donations of said universities are like 1000:1 in favor of democrats. That is better than a Putin election.
Neo Marxist, racial hate, race based policies are what those universities build. So much that an Asian legal compain was won against racism that you support. Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard was the case.
Unfortunately political warfare does not require truth.. infact sometimes lies are better.. also human nature means that generally he who says it first and often wins even if it total BS.
The secret is to destroy the binding agents that separate truth from lie, the fact that there has always been a grey area exemplified by example science modifying truths through acquired evidence and knowledge that’s where the exploiters start by manipulating this long established process to their own ends, thus just makes it easier. Leavitt did it last week by claiming the BBC was lying about civilian deaths in Gaza at the food distribution centre because as all news agencies do updated information as it came in, while further analysing that information. So the scientific approach in Leavitt/Regime World is replace by cult truths invented to suit. It’s was even claimed in Court last week in the Regime attempt to undermine the Constitution (thankfully quickly rejected) that the ‘truth’ is whatever the President decides it is, despite the fact he changes it on a daily basis but think about it if the cult leader decides the truth and changes it daily then factual truth no longer has any meaning we are back to effectively medieval prescribed orthodoxy which is what Trump wants. Once the essence of what is true, ie facts, history, experience et al have been reduced to mere opinion as expressed through a powerful front man be it Big Brother or the Wizard of Oz supported through cultish religious fervour (that was once restricted to a minority) then truth as George Orwell new well can be manipulated as an art form and where you wish it to go if the front man has generated enough exposure and a personality the public become enamoured with. Ironically both Trump and Sugar gained that through Mark Burnett recognising TV gold as he presented apparent mediocrity to doubting bosses, as potential tv entertainment gold ie very average businessmen who entertained the public making it easy to convince them they were powerful and competent on what became a massive scale. The flapping of Butterfly wings in South America had started on its long corrupting journey to replace any concept of decision making based on intelligence, experience and skill with mere superficial charm hiding deep rooted knee caping underlying deception and threat.
I hate to say this and I probably would have punched myself in the nose a couple of years back for saying it but maybe Britain needs a dose of Nigel Farage in number 10. I think he would sort out the Universities and the Micky Mouse degrees that indoctrinate rather than educate.
The easy bit will be getting into power the hard bit will be sorting out the blob (unelected civil service and judiciary that operate on their own direction)
There are a lot of power that the parliament delegated into Authorities, Comissions etc. because they cannot be bothered and many never did anything in their lives except politics/journalism <- pardon the redundancy..
I wonder under whose direction you think they should operate under? With an unwritten Constitution we don’t even have the presently struggling defences seen in the US. Personally I don’t want a dictator thank you especially one who wants to make us the 51st State to suits his own and his acolyte’s pockets. Doo we really think a tin pot Quisling who has already been proved a liar, is a great future for this Country?
@Spyinthesky
Are you telling me that your current government are free from lying or even corruption for that matter. Hilariously delusional!
You may disagree or dislike Farage but what evidence do you have that if he were democratically elected to be your PM that he would be a dictator other than vacuous opinion?
Show me any link where Farage states that he wants to make the UK the 51st State, or again is it just vacuous opinion. Many have argued that you already are the 51st State for as long as I can remember. Does that make Labour and the Conservatives quislings? After what many in the Labour cabinet have said about Trump in the past, they are certainly ludicrously hypocritical.
Very much so. Defying ministers own policies.
I think that great philosopher Terry Wogan had it right when he said, ‘ I think therefore I am…..confused’. Practical apprenticeships beat universities every time.
Great to sse the Iranians “Bigging up” the RN.
The ship knows where it isn’t..
It is rather unfortunate that the deployment of the Carrier Strike Group has happened at the same time as the latest Israel/ IIran conflict.
The group being in the Indian Ocean only adds to Iranian paranoia.
To be honest I doubt it is possible to increase the paranoia of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; a man who has dug himself a mental grave and is insisting the world jumps in to keep him company.