British military and diplomatic service personnel in the Middle East have been placed on an increased state of alert as fears grow of an attack by Iran on UK targets in the strife-torn region. A Foreign Office spokeswoman declined to immediately comment on the reports. It is believed tensions between Iran and the US were a “hot topic” in Tuesday’s National Security Council meeting.
The heightened alert from British officials comes after the US ordered all non-essential government staff to leave Iraq.
Germany and the Netherlands have also suspended their military assistance programmes in the volatile country.
Tensions have reached boiling point in the Persian Gulf region over unspecified threats the US says are linked to Iran.
US defence chiefs have been positioning warships, bombers and thousands of troops in the Persian Gulf.
Washington officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on US forces and interests in the Middle East have not elaborated out that threat.
More to follow…