“We share the same assessment of the heightened threat posed by Iran,” Hunt said on Twitter. “As always we work closely with the USA.”

Earlier this week, Britain’s defence ministry backed a British general who appeared to question the Trump administration’s claims that an imminent threat had emerged from Iran.

The U.S. military has sent forces, including an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers, to the Middle East in a move that U.S. officials said was made to counter “clear indications” of threats from Iran to American forces in the region.

However, Chris Ghika, the deputy commander of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said that there had been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces.