A British Royal Navy destroyer is headed to the Middle East where a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is underway – as part of a multi-country mission that could finally unlock commercial shipping in the critical waterway.

The HMS Dragon is joining a “freedom of navigation” mission in a move that signals an important international shift toward ending Iran’s stronghold of the strait. President Trump has long demanded other US allies , including those dependent on Persian Gulf oil, share the burden of getting commercial traffic through the strait .

The HMS Dragon is joining a “freedom of navigation” mission, in a move that signals an important shift in the aftermath the US-Israel war with Iran LPhot Helayna Birkett/Royal Navy / SWNS

Iran effectively closed the vital waterway during the war, and the US in response imposed a blockade that remains in place.

Britain’s Defense Ministry announced Saturday that the Dragon is being deployed from the eastern Mediterranean, where it had been guarding UK military…