“Nobody should be surprised” if Russia is helping Iran target western forces and strangle global oil supplies, the Defence Secretary has warned. Speaking as he visited British troops charged with planning the UK’s military response to the war in Iran, John Healey defended the UK’s response to the conflict, with planning in the build up to US and Israeli strikes being highly criticised.

Mr Healey told reporters that the resultant surge in oil prices was likely to play into Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s hands, as it bolsters income to wage his war in Ukraine. The Defence Secretary told reporters: “Putin is clearly one of the leaders most likely to welcome this war.” He continued: “Nobody should be surprised if Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics or capabilities.

“After all, the one world leader benefiting from sky-high oil prices right now is Putin, because it helps fund his brutal war in Ukraine.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged G7 nations to take swift action to open up the vital shipping route, where 20 million barrels a day is typically produced, hinting at the possible use of naval vessels to clear mines and deter attacks.

The war is causing the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), with global prices rising once more yesterday as Iran continues to strike key energy and shipping infrastructure.

It said that the flow of oil through the strait has reduced to “a trickle”, forcing 32 nations to agree to the release of 400 million barrels of reserves.

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said: “Overnight attacks on shipping off Iran are the stuff of nightmares for investors, confirming that one of the world’s key waterways is closed to shipping and resulting in a fresh surge in oil prices.

Mr Healey stopped short of committing to opening up the strait by force, but refused to take the prospect of military action off the table.

He added: “The reports of Iran mining the straits are becoming more established. The evidence of a number of commercial ships being attacked is also becoming clearer.

“I am discussing additional options with planners, and we are in discussions with allies. Any potential action — diplomatic or military — would have to be coordinated internationally.

“Ultimately, however, you cannot clear mined waters and restore confidence in commercial shipping without greater regional stabilisation. The fastest route to that would be an end to the conflict.”

Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge urged his opposite number to explain what the UK government plan for opening up the strait was.

He told the Daily Express: “We must guarantee the security of vessels passing through the strait of Hormuz. We can’t just hope our shipping is safe from attack – words without action ring hollow.”

Mr Healey’s comments came shortly after British forces shot down two unmanned weapon systems believed to have been launched by Iran or Iranian-backed proxies in the region.

Lieutenant General Nick Perry, Chief of Joint Operations tasked with command of global operations, confirmed that an airbase in Erbil, Northern Iraq, had been hit by a drone, causing casualties to US service personnel on the site.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used and that Iran’s attacks on Gulf Arab neighbours will continue.

His first statement since his appointment was read on state television by a news anchor. Mr Khamenei did not appear on camera, and an Israeli assessment indicates he was wounded in the war’s opening salvo.

Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to halt their bombardment, which started the war on February 28.

US President Donald Trump has promised to “finish the job”, even though he claimed Iran is “virtually destroyed”.