British nuclear-powered submarine arrives in Arabian Sea: media

LONDON -- A nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine has arrived in the Arabian Sea, capable of launching cruise missile attacks on Iran, British media reported Saturday, quoting military sources.

The submarine, HMS Anson, is fitted with Tomahawk Block IV land-attack missiles and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, and is believed to be in the deep waters of the northern Arabian Sea, Daily Mail said.

This means that British forces have the capacity to launch attacks on Iran if the conflict escalates, it added.

If authorized by the prime minister, the report said, HMS Anson would be given the order to fire, and would rise close to the surface and dispatch four missiles.

Britain on Friday agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to carry out "operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz," while reaffirming its commitment to "not getting drawn into the wider conflict."