British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering sending thousands of interceptor drones to the Middle East to counter Iranian Shahed drones.

Military officials are examining whether the Octopus drone interception system, manufactured in Britain for Ukraine's war against Russia, could also be used to strengthen British defenses against Iranian unmanned aircraft.

The British Royal Air Force is already conducting defensive operations over Bahrain, where one of the main British military bases in the region is located.

The potential deployment of the Octopus system would represent a significant expansion of British military engagement in the Middle East and would demonstrate a new application of technology developed for the Ukrainian battlefield.